Last Rebel
by Quote the Speechless
Summary: Naruto's spirit is broken at a young age. Now he must rebuild himself, and with the help of Kyuubi and some others, he will do that. His goal? To become the greatest ninja in the world. All reviews welcome.
1. Beginning

Quote the Speechless: Walks out on stage, hesitant steps, unsure where to begin "Uh... Hi, I'm 'Quote the Speechless' and uh... this is my Fic."

Ghost Wolf: "That's it? This is a Naruto fic. You can't be nervous about this Speechless. You need to be confidant like he is."

Quote the Speechless: "Uh... yea, probably, but I'm not like that."

Quote the Speechless: "For those of you out there, this is Ghost Wolf, he's my room mate at college, no, neither of us is Gay."

Ghost Wolf: "Moving on… This bonehead has been writing this story for the last… what… Two or three months?"

Quote the Speechless: "... Yea" he scratches the back of his head, embarrassed. "Something like that."

Ghost Wolf: "Anyway it is a good fic and he finally decided to do something with it besides show it to his friends." He looks at Quote the Speechless and throws a Textbook at him.

Quote the Speechless: Ducks under the Textbook. "WATCH IT!"

Ghost Wolf: "Now finish the intro."

Quote the Speechless: "Huh? Oh, right… This is an AU Naruto Fic. The main change is that Naruto has been broken at a young age. He is not the outgoing prankster that we all know. Other changes will be evident as the story continues."

Ghost Wolf: "Hope you all enjoy the story. I know I have."

Legal Stuff: I do not own the Series Naruto, nor do I have any affiliation with the makers of the Manga.

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Chapter 1: Naruto

What was the man thinking? The boy had just been born. No name or family to speak of, no one was even sure where the child had come from. And no one who knew what he contained would have anything to do with him. The white haired balding man sitting behind the desk looked at the child asleep in the basket in front of him, the seal still visible on his belly. There had already been an attempt on his life, a nurse whose care he had been put in for a moment, after the news that the Yondiame had been found dead, with the child in his arms, in the middle of the battlefield littered with the bodies of the other Leaf Nin. Traces of the Kyuubi's energy were still swirling around the child so it was easy to guess what had happened.

He could force a family to take him, but resentment for the only survivor of the great tragedy was already spreading though the ranks and city. He wished he could keep the child with him, but he was already in a precarious position. He had retaken the position of Hokage because there was no one else at the time and it was necessary that they keep a strong face even after the great loss. He already had too much to deal with and this child sleeping in front of him, sucking on his thumb was the greatest of all. An adoption home was the only choice that the Hokage could think of. He had already ordered a list of them from his secretary. In the morning, he would find one, and make it law that the boy be treated as any other; anyone who stepped against the child would have to face the most powerful Nin in the city. He looked at the whisker marks on his cheeks, wondering if they would disappear or grow with time, knowing that they would be a reminder to any who looked on him as to who he was.

As he brushed a finger over the baby's cheek and the boy opened his eyes for a moment. Their eyes locked, his aged grey green eyes and the youthful brilliant blue. He presented the last thing he could ever give this child, because the law applied to him as well. "Uzumaki Naruto, they will never know how great a hero you actually are. You have quite a future ahead of you, don't disappoint me," he looked over at the other pictures of the previous Hokage. "Or him," as he looked at the most recent. Then he looked back at the baby and found that he had already gone back to sleep.

But the next few years were not filled with light and hope as the Hokage had desperately hoped for. More attempts were made on the boy's life until he had to assign two Anbu to guard over him in secret for anyone who would threaten his life. But the Anbu could only do so much, and they would watch on, as people slapped the boy out of their way, kicked him, verbally attacked him, there were stones and other things. The orphanage wasn't much better. He was always placed at the end of the line for food and was given the scrapings that were left. When he was picked on by the other children for his whisker marks the adults did nothing to step in, but if he tried to fight back against them he was punished until he didn't fight back at all, just taking the blows and bruises that healed by morning, something he couldn't explain. The children seeing the way he was treated by the adults did everything they could to make the boy's life miserable. He was allowed no personal belongings and anything he tried to keep was taken from him. He was dressed in old clothes that had been donated to the orphanage, he was forced to wear a set of bright orange clothes that no one had wanted, but he didn't care.

In short, the boy was broken, he took refuge in libraries, though he was never allowed to take the books out, he would find a corner and a book and start reading, for hours and hours, it was the only time the boy ever smiled. When he took on the life of a knight or mage or rurouni, but then when he had to put the book down, he remembered his life and every time he found his heart broke a little more.

No one looked out for him, only himself but he felt something inside him, something trying to break out. It was angry and strong. But it wasn't angry at him, it was angry at everyone else, at the ones who did this to him, the ones who broke his spirit so long ago.

One night, when he was ten, Naruto was walking back from a bookstore, he had finally gathered up enough money to get something he had always wanted, a book of his own. It wasn't very big, just a small fantasy about a ninja that never gave up, and never went back on his word, protecting the people of his village with everything he had because they were his precious people. He wanted to be like the man, he wanted to be strong and for people to at least smile at him once. It was then that he walked into a man and fell down, the book falling out of his hands. He was grabbed roughly and lifted into the air.

"Watch where you're going RUNT," the man was drunk, and took a moment to recognize the child he was holding up. The Fox Brat, the man smiled wickedly and punched the boy in the stomach, he was going to enjoy this.

Naruto on the other hand just wanted to be left alone as he was dropped and crumpled to the ground, holding his belly, tears forming in his eyes. He looked over and saw the book on the ground, he reaches over with a trembling hand to get the book, keep it safe, that was all he wanted. But the man didn't let him, he stepped on the boy's wrist increasing the pressure until Naruto was whimpering in pain, but he refused to cry out, he knew that only meant more pain, but the man didn't stop there. He reaches down and picked up the book.

"What is this? Did you STEAL THIS!" The man didn't care, so long as it gave him another reason to punish the boy. He looked and the title and was furious. What Naruto had thought was a fantasy book was not it was "The Young Life of the Yondaime." In his fury the man stopped down on the wrist and smiled at the satisfying snapping of bone and whimpering. "I might have gone easier on you, but not now, you KILLED this man."

Naruto didn't understand, he just wanted to be left alone, he wanted to go back to the orphanage that hated him, and read the book by the moonlight. He was in so much pain, his wrist was broken he was sure of it, he knew it would heal, but it didn't stop it from hurting so much. It wasn't the first time, he had been pushed down the stares a few months ago and had ended up with a broken leg, it took two days to heal, but it did. The man was talking and kicking him in the stomach, but Naruto was fading out, he felt like he as falling, his eyes glazed over when he realized that no one was going to save him.

"**Pitiful, to think that I'm trapped within such a weak body."** Naruto heard the words but he didn't understand, he opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of a large cage, he looked around confused. **"In here boy."** Came the voice, from the other side of the bars, a light shone and Naruto stepped back in shock. It was HUGE, larger than anything alive Naruto had ever seen before. The Massive fox lay there, surrounded by his nine tails, its head by the cage watching the boy with its red eyes.

"Am I dead?" It was the only thing that he could think to explain this. He was standing shin deep in dirty water, dripping from rusted pipes that came out from the walls. The air was humid and the smell was bad and only just tolerable.

"**No, and I plan to make sure that you don't end up that way."** The voice was powerful and Naruto felt it shake him to his very core. **"I am the Kuubi, sealed within your body because of the Fourth Hokage's actions Ten years ago."** Pictures flashed around Naruto showing him fragments of the great Fox's memories, including one of a man riding a great toad into battle surrounded by ninja, all wearing the head protector of Leaf. **"We will talk later, but for now you have a book to recover."** There was a little amusement in the voice as red Chakra slipped under the bars of the cage and swilled up around Naruto.

Naruto felt a sharp pain in his belly as he opened his eyes and was kicked back into an ally wall. He was bruised and beaten, his leg felt like it might be fractured, and he had several broken ribs. The man was still angry but he was a little worn out from just beating this kid around, but he wasn't going to stop any time soon. Naruto coughed and spit up some blood he started to struggle to his feet.

"So, you still want more huh? Stupid Brat!" The man rushed at Naruto who was leaning against the wall, his right wrist still broken, in quite a lot of pain, but as the man approached Naruto felt something inside of him, Power. As the man's fist came towards him Naruto reaches up and caught it, he had done it in reaction, his small fingers grabbing the man's fist and not letting go. The man pulled back in an attempt to pull his hand from the boy's grip but found his fist and the boy quite immovable. Naruto was surprised, the red energy was flowing through him, his ribs, leg, and wrist, healed very quickly and he felt the new power and strength that he had inside him. He knew what he had to do, he had to get his book back. He squeezed and pulled, the man's finger's broke under the pressure and he cried out in pain, but as he was pulled forward he saw a red glow coming from the boy's other hand and his eyes grew wide in shock. Naruto's arm shot out when the man was in range and his fist slammed into the middle of the man's chest as he let go of his other hand.

The man was thrown back against the opposite wall of the alleyway. He coughed and tasted blood in his mouth, but he was in pain, several of his ribs had cracked under the blow and he was having a very hard time breathing. Then he looked up and saw the small demon child walking towards him, he shook with fear at the look in his eyes.

Naruto looked at the man in front of him. His senses had suddenly and greatly improved. He could see the look in the man's eyes, and he could smell it in his sweat, fear. As he stepped forward towards them man he realized that it was not just hate that had been projected at him by the people of the village, it was also fear.

"D… do… don't hurt me." The man stuttered out, cradling his broken hand. He had never been so afraid in his life before now. Feeling the power that the small boy generated, nothing should have that much power, it shouldn't be allowed to exist. "Please…. Don't hurt me…"

Naruto looked at the man, standing right in front of him. He leaned down and took the book that had fallen from his hand. He stood and looked up at the building, having sensed something watching them. But in truth he didn't care, he took his book and headed back to the orphanage, knowing that somehow, his life had just changed a great deal.

One of the two Anbu who had been watching Naruto raced over the buildings towards the offices of the Hokage. He had to be told, the boy had used the Kyuubi's power, something that shouldn't be possible.

Things started to change immediately. After Naruto got back to the orphanage he ran up to his room and sat down with his book in his favorite reading corner. Unfortunately it wasn't long before some of the older bullies that picked on Naruto saw him with the book and decided to go have some fun. Kariudo, the largest of the bullies stood in front of Naruto who was totally absorbed in the book and apparently hadn't noticed any of them.

"Oy, Shrimp, give me the book." He held out one beefy hand demanding the book, but he didn't get it. In fact, Naruto didn't even move, except to turn the page, his eyes intently on the page. Kariudo was mad, no one ignored him, and he reached and snatched the book from Naruto.

Naruto watched helplessly and Kariudo took his book and tossed it to another of the bullies who looked at it and threw it to another.

"My book, give me back my book." Naruto said in a small voice, he just wanted to sit and read, why had they come and bothered him?

"Oh look, it talks." Said Tsutomu, another of the bullies, holding the book up in front of Naruto, just out of his reach. They were surprised by how fast Naruto's hand snaked out to grab the book, but it was still out of his grasp and he couldn't get it. "Jump Shrimp, if you want the book." Tsutomu held the book as high as he could over Naruto's head, well out of his usual jumping range, but Naruto wasn't usual today. He jumped clear over the boy's head, grabbing the book as he went past, landing on the other side he ran up to his bed, wondering to himself what just happened. Naruto took out the book and looked at it, he then started to read again, forgetting about the bullies and instead reading about the Yondaime, who was now becoming his hero.

When Naruto fell asleep some hours later he found himself back in front of the cage once again. He stood and bowed to the Kyuubi. "Thank you, because of you I'm alive, I didn't think I was going to be." He was surprised when he heard the chuckle from the Great Fox.

"**Don't thank me yet. That man was just a drunk, a nobody, he wasn't even a shinobi. But you've now awakened to the power inside you, and things will change. And I will not have a weakling as my container, so you're going to learn, and get stronger."** The tone of voice said that he was very serious, and at the same time, a little amused.

"Thank you Kyuubi-sensei, but how will you teach me?" He wasn't afraid of the great beast at all, but he admired him, his strength, his power, his confidence.

"**Don't mock me boy. I will teach you with my memories and instruct you on how to control your chakra. I will also give you skills that I had at the height of my power. You will become the greatest shiobi in the world."** There was no doubt in Kyuubi's voice that he could do what he said.

"Even as good as the Yondaime?" His eyes were wide and hopeful, he had never had anything to look forward to before, and now he was told he was going to become a shinobi. Hope lit a fire in his heart, for the first time in a long time he smiled and nearly broke down in tears he was so happy.

"**Better than the Yondaime, he learned from humans and had human power, you're learning from me and you've got my power. It will take a long time, your body can't even handle a fraction of my power, but in time you will be able to hold and control it."** He smirked, he was going to enjoy this, Naruto was going to become great and when all was ready he would let loose Naruto to get the revenge that he had not been able to get due to his blind rage at the time, but he would get it, when Naruto was ready.

"When do I start?" asked an excited Naruto.

"**Now, you're too young for a technique yet, so we'll just work on gathering your chakra in your body and focusing it into your hands."** And so it started, Naruto's sleeping form smiled as he learned.

The next day brought even more changes. Naruto walked down to breakfast to find that everyone was keeping away from him. Apparently rumors were spreading about him. It hurt him to see that the people were afraid of him. But he brushed it off, now he has a friend and a sensei, someone cared about him, and that's all that mattered to him. But one last piece of advice that Kyuubi had given him was that he should never ever tell what he was doing, and that he should never give away the skills that he has learned unless necessary. **"The best trick is the one they don't expect."** And Naruto was forced to agree.

Naruto was surprised when he was called to the office of the head of the orphanage. He walked into the office a bit hesitantly. Nothing good had ever come from that office. He opened the door and peaked around the bend. Mister Chikyuu the head of the orphanage was behind his desk, a folder on his desk.

"Uzumaki Naruto, since the beginning, you have been nothing but trouble since you got here, and now, thankfully, I can get rid of you." He moved the file over and pushed it off the desk and right into the trash can. "It seems that someone is willing to put you up in an apartment, I have no idea who it is and I say they are wrong in their judgment. I would toss you out on the street, but it seems I can't get everything. But there will be someone to show you away today at noon. You are dismissed."

Now Naruto knew that he had never caused trouble, but he was always blamed for whatever wrong that seemed to happen around him. But now he was being kicked out from the only place he could call home. But he had never been accepted, he had been the outcast, now he was going to have his own place, but he was still unsure. He just stood there in front of the desk. Chikyuu looked up at him angrily.

"Get out of my office boy, you're not my problem any more." And that was it, Naruto was out, he walked out and sat on one of the benches outside the orphanage. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the book he opened it and started reading. As the hours passed no one bothered the boy absorbed in his book as he was. If he had looked he would have seen that no one came within several feet of him, at one point a mother had snatched up a child who had started to ask him what he was reading and hurried her away, her pail lavender eyes watching the boy over her mother's shoulder as she was rushed away. But Naruto noticed nothing of this.

Around noon a voice interrupted him. He looked up to see a woman with the head protector symbolizing she is a shinobi of Leaf. "I asked, are you Uzumaki Naruto?" He nodded as he put the book inside his jacket. "I've been hired to escort you to an apartment and present you with this key." She held out a key for him, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the key from her. "Alright lets get this over with, I've got things to do." Then she muttered, "Like staying away from demon freaks." He started walking away through the crowd, he got up and followed her depressed by her words but following just the same, almost having to run to keep up with her brisk pace.

They got to the apartment building and the female Nin pointed to it. "There you go kid, second floor, I'm leaving now." And without a second glance back she walked away. Naruto looked at the building and after reaching with one hand to feel the reassuring weight of the book inside his jacket he walked up inside and to the second floor. He looked around for some sort of indication that one of the rooms was supposed to be his. He found it. A door with an envelope attached to it, his name on the envelope, he pulled down the envelope waiting till he was inside to open it.

The inside of the apartment wasn't that bad, the furniture was all second hand, but not bad condition. He looked around carefully, just incase it was an ambush, but there was no one at all. He sat down on the couch that was against one wall and opened the envelope.

_Dear Naruto_

_I am sorry that I cannot be there to congratulate you on awakening your shinobi abilities, but I have other duties that I must attend to. Let this apartment be a congratulatory gift. You do not have to worry about the rent that has already been taken care of. As for money for food and other expenses you will receive a letter once a week with enough money for your needs. The kitchen has already been stalked with food and you will find some money in your dresser drawer to start you out, get some clothes of your own. _

_In two weeks a new semester at the ninja academy starts and you have already been enrolled. It is my wish that you go there, and learn, become the greatest person you can become. Don't let me down._

_Your Friend_

Naruto sat there and cried. Now there were two people who believed in him. Granted one was a demon that no one could know about, and the other was a person that Naruto didn't know, but still, he held the proof of this person in his hands and looked around him at the apartment, and he smiled. His life was for the first time, changing for the better. He got up and walked into his own room for the first time and opened the drawer of the dresser and there was the money, a nice sized role of bills. Naruto cheered and grabbing the money he ran out, not forgetting to lock the door before running down, he looked back at the building and at his location before running away down towards the shopping district.

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Ghost Wolf: "Such a sad life. All he needs now is a sad theme song. Good job on the writing kid."

Quote the Speechless: "Thanks... HEY! What do you mean 'Kid'?"

Ghost Wolf: "I am older than you. Anyway what happens next?"

Quote the Speechless: "You think I'm going to give that away? Sorry, you have to stick around and read it for yourself."He gives a shy smile.

Ghost Wolf: "Why you..."he grumbles. He turns to the audience. "Well I guess we all have to wait."

Quote the Speechless: "See you all next time." He walks off the stage.

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Brief explanations:

What has happened is that Kyuubi's power running through Naruto has awoken the latent power that all shinobi have. This includes increased speed, agility, strength and other things.

The person who gave Naruto the apartment is of course the Hokage. He can't do anything outright, because it would violate the law. But he will at least try and help Naruto.

Reviews:

All reviews are welcome. When I say 'all' I mean ALL! Tell me your likes, dislikes, questions, flames, or praise. Whatever comes to your mind, I want to hear about it.


	2. Hope

Quote the Speechless: "Uh… Wow, thanks everyone. I got 20 positive reviews. This is making me happy. Your reward shall be… ANOTHER CHAPTER!"

Ghost Wolf: "Isn't this the chapter where you introduce the new people?"

Quote the Speechless: "HEY! Don't give away my story!"

Ghost Wolf: "Well that's what you get for saying what the next chapter is about."

Quote the Speechless: "What do you expect? I hadn't even written it at that time."

Ghost Wolf: "No, but you have ideas about what you're going to write." Threatens Speechless with another text book.

Quote the Speechless: "Well yea, I have dozens of ideas for what is to come. What if I changed my mind and ended up lying to everyone?"

Ghost Wolf: "Eh, good point, but whatever. I am not going to argue with you. Just keep writing."

Quote the Speechless: "Always. Anyway… ON WITH THE STORY!"

Legal Stuff: I do not own the Naruto Series. Wish I did, but I don't.

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Replies to Reviews: 

MiscLeafNin:

OK, first, about the age. There is no set date or age when they go into the school that I have found in the Manga. The reason that I picked ten was that I have noticed that Naruto learns quickly. Or rather get the basic idea for something very quickly. He then works very hard to completely understand it. Second, awakening the powers. I used to do babysitting for extra money in high school and I can tell you nothing would scare me more than anyone under the age of ten having those powers. Third, Hinata. Yes that was her, yes, that was her mother, and yes a mother with the right incentive, like the welfare of her daughter, could easily pick up a ten year old girl. Thank you for your interest and I hope that you keep reading.

Nakora-chan:

OK, First the apartment. In the series there has never been a reference to his apartment being broken into or him being harassed at it. That made me think that it is not in a location were people much care who he is, or don't know who he is. Second, the Anbu. They couldn't interfere with his natural development. Unfortunetly this included the fights and getting beet up. The only time they could interfere is if it looked like he was going to be killed. If the drunk had come at Naruto with a knife or something they would have taken him out at a distance. Third, School. Look back at what I wrote for MiscLeafNin that should explain it. Fourth, Origin. I personally have my own theory about Naruto's origin and his parents, and it is not the typical theory. You will have to wait to find out what it is.

Byuu128:

In Order. Yes, it was the Hokage. Maybe, Pairing ideas are undecided so far. NOPE, Sasuke will still be Sasuke. All will be revieled.

dee-unlm1t3d:

You will see how things are different from other writers. I have some ideas that are quite different, but you may have to wait a few chapters before they become evident.

Tyrchon:

Thank you very much for your input. I have all intention to continue this story until its completion. I will do this one story for now. I do not think I will be comfortable writing two stories at once. But I will take it under advisement.

Also thanks to these others for their reviews:

One Azn Dragon, draconous, RedVulpine, madnarutofan, Night-Owl123, dark-griffin, MisChibiOus, Death Boo, Deathsyte01, JohnnyG, DarkGaara, Dragon Man 180, Morgri, granite69, and Kitsurumenokitsune.

Thank you for your interest.

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Chapter 2 

Naruto had never gone shopping for his own clothes before so he had no idea where to start. He walked into one store and started looking around for something that looked good before the shop owner saw him and ordered him out of the store for scaring away his customers. This happened several more times, once for just looking in the window. Naruto was getting really depressed. Why did the people treat him this way? What had he ever done to them? He found a bench outside a building that had brown paper blocking the windows, and sat down in it, looking down at his feet feeling really bad.

"What's wrong kid? Get lost? Can't find your parents?" A man had just walked out of the building that the bench was in front of. He was holding a sign in his hands that looked brand new. The sign said 'Wonderland Clothing: New Styles for a New You.' The man looked at Naruto. "How about this, you help me hang up this sign and I'll see if I can help you out alright?" Naruto just nodded dumbly and saw that there was a beam of wood with a set of hooks spaced just right for the loops of the sign so it could hang on it. He helped the man by going up on the beam, by way of a ladder and putting the loops on the hooks while the man held the sign up.

"Thanks a lot Kid, now my store can open up tomorrow and I can start business." The man dusted his hands off and held one out to Naruto. "I'm Kibou. But anyway, how can I help you out?"

"I was shopping for clothes… but they just keep kicking me out of the stores." Naruto looked down at the ground.

"Kicking you out huh? Well how about this?" He opened the door and ushered the boy inside. "I won't kick you out, and because you helped me out and you're my first customer, I'll even give you a discount." He smiled as he turned the lights on, and revealed the store that Naruto couldn't see before because of the paper in the windows. There was clothing in all sorts of styles and sizes. "I used to travel a lot, went around to all the big nations and countries and everything, learned about the different styles of clothing at each. I just got back and I decided to set up shop, I used to live here and I know what people want, so I'll probably do a good amount of business." He turned to face the still awed Naruto. "So, tell me, what are you looking for?"

Naruto looked down at himself, his old second hand clothes, and the bright orange that no one had wanted. He remembered what the sign said, 'New styles for a new you.' He smiled as he looked at Kibou who was patiently watching the boy. "A new me."

At that Kibou broke into a wide grin and laughed. "I was hoping you'd say that. Come on, let's have some fun." And they did. At first Naruto had been shy, but the shop owner would have nothing of it and insisted that Naruto smile at all times. For the next few hours they both laughed and joked while picking out clothes. Naruto felt that he didn't want this day to ever end. But unfortunately it had to but not before he had the best day of his life.

Naruto ended up picking out several sets of clothes, several normal ever day clothes, blue jeans, t-shirts, and the like and several other clothes, what he was happiest about was his jacket. It was mostly light orange with darker patches on his shoulders and at the front pockets, on the back there was a dark red fox decal showing a fox's head rising out of a fire. The jacket was heavier than most due to some added features, in particular was the fact that it was triple layer, an outer waterproof layer, a middle layer of thin finely woven steal mesh, and then an inner layer for comfort and flexibility. There were also secret pockets hidden on the sleeves and by the main zipper, as well as several on the inside. Naruto got the pants that went along with the jacket because they were made the same way. The triple layers and several hidden pockets. They weighed a lot more than normal clothes but Kibou said that it would be good training and would help him build up his strength, and if he ever wanted it changed all he had to do was bring them back and he would repair or alter them.

When they were finally done Naruto paid for the clothes Naruto was delighted to find that he still had about half the money that he had been given left over. As he was headed for the door with the bags, wearing the new jacket and pants, because Kibou had insisted that he throw out the old clothes, the man called to him. "Hey, you never told me your name."

At this Naruto looked down for a second before reaching up and feeling the presence of the book that he had placed in the inside pocket and remembered the line 'never be ashamed of yourself,' he shook himself a little. "It's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." He half expected the man to yell at him and insist that he give back all the clothes and tell him never to come back, but it didn't happen.

"Naruto, huh? Well it was a pleasure doing business with you, and I look forward to seeing you around." And he went back to cleaning up the shop from his busy day with the boy. 'So, that's Naruto.' He thought to himself. 'He doesn't seem so bad. Interesting through…' He watched the boy walk out of the store and out onto the night time street, a bag of clothes in each hand and smiled. 'I wonder if I'll see him again.' And he swept up the store, expecting a busy day tomorrow, and it was indeed.

The next two weeks were spent preparing for going to the ninja academy. Naruto trained his mind and Chakra manipulation during the nights with Kyuubi, and at Kyuubi's insistence, training his body during the day, doing calisthenics during the day to build his strength. Naruto got an alarm clock and set it to wake him up early so he could do some running when no one would disturb him. After the first week of just running Kyuubi changed it a little, insisting that Naruto learn to gather Chakra while he was running. Naruto grumbled a lot about all the training he was doing when he hadn't even seen the academy yet. When Kyuubi heard that he insisted that Naruto find the building so he could see what it looked like and how to get to it.

Finally two weeks had past and it was time for Naruto to go to the academy. But Kyuubi insisted that Naruto do his usual run, followed by a run to the academy gathering Chakra all the way. This tired Naruto out quite a bit from the extra run, he usually meditated and Kyuubi would tell him the exercises he wanted Naruto to do, and that let him gain back some chakra and stamina so he could do them, but it seemed he would not have the luxury today.

When Naruto got to the building he was quite out of breath and the clock showed that he was already a few minutes late, he asked at the front desk where his class was and after an irritated reply from the lady behind the desk he ran off down the hall way, skidding into the class room where the teacher was taking role call.

"Who are you?" The teacher asked, he was wearing a slightly worn headband, a small pony tail high up on his head, and a scar across the middle of his face going over his nose and under his eyes.

"U… Uzumaki Naruto, sir." The man frowned a little, as the students began to mummer. He looked down at his list, he marked something and turned back to Naruto. "You're five minutes late, a Shinobi must always be on time and prepared. Go take a seat." And he continued with the role call.

"I am Umuino Iruka, you will call me Iruka-Sensei. You will raise your hand if you have a question or comment and wait till I have called on you before answering, am I understood?" He looked around the room at all the children nodding, seeing that Naruto had taken a seat back in the corner his head down on the desk, watching, but obviously exhausted, probably from the run to class he figured. "I will teach you what it means to be a shinobi, a ninja of Leaf. I will teach you many things, including the history of Leaf, Rules of being a Ninja, weapons basics, chakra manipulation and more."

And so it began. Iruka was a harsh teacher, always expecting more than he thought the students could give, especially Naruto, picking out the flaws in whatever Naruto was doing. Naruto, however, didn't let that stop him. He would often 'fall asleep' in class, when he was actually meditating, and taking with Kyuubi. Kyuubi wanted Naruto to look like an untalented Ninja, and so Naruto did what his sensei told him, acting like a no talent Ninja at school, while he trained even harder than before at home. At school he was called 'Dead Last' and picked on by the other students for falling asleep in class, getting yelled at by Iruka, and generally being a bad student.

But Naruto knew it wasn't true his strength was growing all the time and the jacket and pants weren't heavy to him any more at all, he was learning the different hand seals necessary for using ninjutsu and genjutsu. He also learned that with concentration he could talk with Kyuubi whenever he wanted to, and it became easier over time to the point when he would have conversations with Kyuubi while running in the morning.

All this time Naruto stayed the quiet boy he had been before, but now, there was a small smile the played on his lips and would annoy Iruka when he saw it in class because it meant that Naruto wasn't paying any attention at all. Naruto made no friends with the other students, and never really talked with them except when he had to. Naruto continued this for a month, and then two, never letting on how good he actually was.

Some of the other students thought he was weird and decided to follow him one day, to figure out where he went, because no one knew anything about him, except that no one liked him. But he didn't go home, no one came to pick him up, instead he started to run, the other students having though he had spotted them, he had, ran after him. But Naruto didn't pay any attention to them, he just kept running, until finally the students were too exhausted to follow him any more. And they stopped, panting and breathing hard as they watched him run out of sight.

Kiba was angry. How could the 'dead last' run so fast or so long? Akamaru sniffed along the ground and tried to follow but he wasn't so good at tracking yet and the smell of chakra that all the Inuzuka dogs learned overloaded him and made him sneeze and rub his nose into the ground and then go over to Kiba and sit by the exhausted boy and tell him what he could.

Ino grumbled, she thought the new kid was cute, though she would never admit it. She had asked her parents if they knew anything about the Uzumaki family, and they looked at each other and told her that she should just focus on her studies.

They turned back and headed home, each wondering about this strange boy. Ino went to tell her friends Shikamaru and Choji that she couldn't find out anything about him, except that he could run damn fast.

Naruto smiled when he noticed them stop running after him. In truth he had been running faster than normal because Kyuubi had promised to teach him an actual technique today and not just learning about more control or building strength.

"**Calm down boy or you'll exhaust yourself before you can even learn what I'm going to teach you."** But there was amusement in the Kyuubi's voice at how eager his container was to learn something new. **"Go out into the forest, find a good sized clearing."**

Naruto did as he was told. 'Alright Kyuubi-sensei, I've found a clearing.' He thought so Kyuubi could hear him.

"**Alright, you've learned the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ (Clone Technique) in class, and I like the way you mess it up, no one would suspect that you've already perfected it. Well I'm going to teach you the next level. This technique is called the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ (Shadow Clone Technique), and it will allow you to make real clones, not those flimsy illusions. This way you'll be able to have a sparking partner and improve your fighting abilities, which are quite frankly pathetic."**

Naruto hung his head at this but brightened up at the thought of getting better. And so, for the next few hours Naruto practiced, first just the order of the hand seals, and then seeing how the molding of chakra was different from the usual _Bunshin no Jutsu_, until finally Kyuubi said he was ready to try it for real. Naruto did and ended up with three clones that looked like him, but he hadn't molded the chakra quite right and a few seconds later they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto kept trying until the sun was about to set, and then he got it right, and there were no less than five of him running around congratulating each other on getting it right.

Kyuubi smiled inwardly happy at his student's progress, and sent him home for a good night's rest, there would be no lessons tonight and Naruto would be allowed to sleep fully. Naruto went home exhausted by his training and weighed down by his clothing, a happy smile plastered on his face.

"**Alright kid, a few rules first about any of the techniques that I teach you. 1) You don't use them unless you have to. 2) Don't tell anyone where you learned them from should you be forced to show them. 3) Never teach them to anyone outside of your own family. Now before you go back to your place and sleep, go to that Kibou guy, the one you got this suit from, it's time for you to increase the weight."**

And so he did, Naruto went back to Wonderland Clothing and stepped inside. There was a woman behind the counter this time and Kibou was no where in sight. Naruto walked up to the counter. He had lost most of his shyness dealing with the brash demon teacher, but he was still a little hesitant to talk with the unknown lady.

"Hello, can I help you?" Said the woman when she saw Naruto walk up to her.

"I'm looking for Kibou, is he in?"

"My husband?" This startled Naruto a little and he looked and saw the ring on her finger. "He is but he's a little busy right now, working on something for a customer. Would you like me to take him a message?"

"Uh… yea could you tell him that 'his first customer is back.'" The woman looked confused, then thoughtful before breaking into a big smile, something that Naruto had never seen directed at him in a good manner.

"Oh! You must be Naruto. Kibou keeps wondering if you'll show up again, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, I'm Keito. You wait right here." And with that she walked through a door at the back into what Naruto guessed was a work room.

Kibou came out a few moments later while Naruto was examining some shuriken holders that were being displayed in a glass case. "Ah, Naruto, my wife said that it was you. What can I do for you? No problems I hope." Worry creased his forehead for a moment before Naruto shook his head. "Well then, what can I help you with?"

"I need training weights, to get stronger." Kibou studied the boy for a moment, and looked into his eyes to see a determination there that had been lacking before. A slow smile spread across his face as he started nodding.

"Yes, I think I can do that, come in back with me." He looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter. "Keito, close up, we're done for tonight, and then, some tea, tonight's a working night." Keito looked at her husband and then at Naruto, getting the idea she went and locked the door, turning the sign to closed and pulling down the blinds on the windows before going into the back and starting to make the tea.

Kibou guided Naruto into the back room. "My wife and I live on the second floor, back here is where I work on my projects." There was a twinkle in his eye as he showed Naruto the back room, filled with cloth and tools, leather and metal, dressing dummies and charts. One of the tables was indeed covered with a suit that Naruto guessed Kibou had been working on, but Kibou just picked it all up and moved it, leaving the table clear. "Now my boy, tell me again what you really need."

Training Weights, Naruto was about to say, but stopped himself and thought about it. What did he really need? To get stronger and faster, yes, but what else? "To become the greatest Shinobi, so people will respect me."

"Good Answer." And then Kibou pulled out a Head protector from a drawer and put it on, on it was the symbol of Leaf. "I'm guessing that you're in the academy?" Naruto nodded dumbly as he looked at the Head Protector. "Well forget them. Go to school and pass your classes, whatever, but it doesn't matter." Naruto's eye's widened with shock at what he was saying.

"**Calm down kid, trust him. This is the first human I've seen that is sensible."** Kyuubi growled to him, amused as he watched what was going on through Naruto's eyes.

Kibou held his hands up when he saw Naruto's reaction. "Relax kid, trust me when I say that you will use the techniques they teach, but there are a lot better things you can learn." He smiled as he watched Naruto relax a little. "Good, now that we have that out of the way we can get down to serious business. Now, I notice you don't have any of the usual equipment, no kunai or shuriken, no weapons at all, no scrolls or even an equipment pouch." Naruto shook his head, he didn't have any of that stuff of his own, he learned some stuff from the scrolls that he got from the academy but most of them he never used, and he used the practice Kunai and Shuriken at school, but he didn't have any of his own.

It was at this point that Keito walked in with a trey, on the trey was a tea pot and three cups, she walked over to the table and set down the cups pouring green tea in each. Kibou sat down across from his wife and Naruto followed suit sitting on one of the stools around the table. "Kibou used to be a teacher at the academy." She said as she passed Naruto one of the tea cups.

Naruto took the tea cup and sipped the tea, sitting in silence. His eyes went back to Kibou and the Head protector.

"Eh, that was 15 years ago, before I left to travel. I learned a lot, and I suggest you try it some time as well, but when you're older and ready. Now, business has been quite brisk, a lot more than I had expected. And I could use an assistant. You're probably wondering how this will help you." Naruto nodded. "Well here it goes, I'm going to teach you how to mold chakra into your fingers individually, and I use the skill for cutting cloth." He demonstrated by reaching into a trash can and pulling out a discarded piece of blue fabric, he closed his eyes and held up the pointer finger of his other hand as he lay the fabric down on the table, there was a little glow around his finger that gathered into a point of light that he put down onto the fabric and pulled it across the surface, neatly cutting the piece in half, even burning the edges so there could be no fraying.

"**That is very high level control, a very good skill to learn."** Said Kyuubi from inside his mind, sounding impressed.

"I will also teach you how to wrap it around kunai and needles. I use it so it will do less damage to the fabric that I'm working with. You will learn about colors and dies, how they blend and change, this will help you learn how to hide and blend in to the background. I will show you how to make and repair your own equipment and clothing, something every Shinobi should know how to do." Kibou sat back and sipped his tea as his wife spoke up.

"My husband and I are in agreement that what is taught at the academy is not what should be taught, but he is happy to use his skills just for the store. I am more open minded." Kibou rolled his eyes at that but his wife ignored him. "I will teach you how to use those skills in battle after the store closes. I will show you a taijutsu fighting style that will show you how to properly use the skills that he will teach you. I will also be teaching you how to make Kunai and Shuriken specifically for you, best fit to your hand, and how to mold chakra into them in ways that your opponent won't expect."

Naruto was overwhelmed. He had expected to walk in, buy some weights, and maybe talk for a minute. But now he was being offered the chance to have two more teachers. He didn't know what to do. It seemed like so much for him.

"**Take it kid, this is an excellent offer. One will teach you better control than I have been so far and teach you practical skills like how to take care of your stuff, something I never had to do. And the other will teach you how to make weapons, take care of them and use them, something I never needed and a taijutsu style, something I couldn't teach you because I've never been human. This will allow me to work with you and teach you more Jutsu and build your stamina."** Kyuubi was ecstatic, this was perfect.

"Drink your tea, think about it, I realize this must be a lot to take in." Naruto nodded as he obediently sipped his tea, it really was quite good. "With the training you'll get we can promise that you'll get the respect that you deserve." And that was all Naruto had to hear.

"I'll do it." Naruto proclaimed as he set his cup down. "When do I show up?"

"Tomorrow after school, come by and we'll have everything set up for you." Keito said, beaming at him.

"Oh yea, before you go." Kibou walked over to Naruto and did some hand seals very quickly before reaching out and touching Naruto's Jacket, and then the leg of his pants. A moment later Naruto felt the weight of his jacket and pants increase to a point where he had some trouble standing up. "You said you wanted weights, well there you go. Now go on home and get a good night's rest, tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Naruto wondered what he had gotten himself into as he waved a weighted arm at them and walked heavily down the street back to his apartment, but he couldn't help smiling all the way, he had two more teachers and he was getting better, he was going to be great some day.

* * *

Explination: 

You're all probably wondering why Iruka was soo rude to Naruto. Here's my reasoning. Iruka lost his parents to Kyuubi, what Naruto embodies to all those that look upon him. Iruka tried to be noticed by Acting out and being a goof off, this has been shown in the first few chapters of the manga. In my version Naruto never acted out that way, thus there is no way that Iruka can relate to Naruto or tell that he is suffering. For that Reason Iruka is an asshole to Naruto.

* * *

Ghost Wolf : "There's no point in me asking what happens next, so I'm just going to wonder what the real reason Kyuubi wants to train Naruto? And that was a nice intro of Naruto's academy classmates."

Quote the Speechless: He sticks his tongue out. "Nope. You have to wait."

Ghost Wolf: "I can wait for the next chapter. Now I want to see what all the other who are reading your story will say. So I won't hit you with this textbook just yet."

Quote the Speechless: "Oh, how thoughtful of you. I'm sure that the readers are much more appreciative of my work than you are."

Ghost Wolf: "If only I had some of the skills Naruto was learning… then you'd be in for it. But as stands, I will congratulate you on another good chapter."

Quote the Speechless: "And here we must end this tantalizing conversation in light of other things. I hope that you and the readers will be back for the next chapter in one week."


	3. Learning

Quote the Speechless: He looks out from behind the curtain and steps out onto stage. "Uh... Hi, sorry." He quickly ducks a rain of thrown objects.

Ghost Wolf: "You said a week! How long has it been now?"

Quote the Speechless: "Uh... three?" Running dodging thrown items. "LOOK I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

Ghost Wolf: Hufing and puffing. "You're luck I'm so tired from work. Just get on with the story."

Quote the Speechless: Looks at Ghost increduously. "You're tired? I'm the one in the process of moving to a completely different house. But yes, you're right. ON WITH THE STORY!"

Ghost Wolf: Mumbling under breath while waking away. "He does't have to lift fruit and vegitables for the next five weeks to earn some money. Enjoy the story folks."

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REVIEWS

LbcLostKid: I have not decided on what the couples will be yet.

Tyrchon: Thank you for your positive review, but you should know that Iruka's views on Naruto will not change. I explained that earlier, and it may become a sticking point later on, I haven't decided yet.

Dragon Man 180: Naruto is still rather distrustful of other people. So far the only ones that he has, gotten close to are Kibou and Keito, and he will wait till others prove to him that they can be trusted, he won't go out of his way to make friends because of the hard time he had in the orphanage.

JohnnyG: Thank you, and trust me that you will see a connection later on, though it may take a while to work it into the story line. I have not decided on pairings yet, but I am leaving the option wide open.

Citan: I will be following a lot of stuff in the manga for a while until I can find a good point to separate off at. Yes I agree that pairings when they are so young seems quite unnatural and for that reason I'm leaving them blank for the time being.

Samurai Demon-God Sekikage: DON'T GUT ME! I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO WRITE!It took me a while to build up the nerve to write it myself, but now that I have started I doubt I will be stopping anytime soon.

Dragon Noir: Yes, but he will not stay subdued forever, in fact you will see a much better change in this chapter. You will see in time who and why Kyuubi attacked. No, I am sorry, Iruka will continue to dislike Naruto until something happens much later in the fic. I don't know what couples I will have in the story, so I'm just leaving it wide open right now.

Also thanks to Night-Owl123, Morgri, ZeroX1999, WorldSoCold, MaxFic, and Fleetfoot for your reviews.

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Chapter Three

And so it went for two long years. Naruto goofed off in school, doing only enough to pass and not get in too much trouble that he's kept late. Keeping his reputation as 'dead last.' Naruto found school more and more boring as he ended up learning more and had more fun when he wasn't in school. Whether he was learning a new technique from Kyuubi, like _Donton: Jishin Handou no Jutsu_ (Earth Type: Earthquake Kick Technique) that concentrated a large amount of Chakra into his foot and when he brought it down on the ground, would send out a shockwave that could knock down trees, if directed properly, or could send out a shockwave in all directions if he wanted it to. Or one of many fire techniques, such as _Katon: Kitsune Fukumen Bakushin_ (Fire Type: Fox Mask Dash Technique) a fire technique that made a fox head appear on the end of a rope of fire that would chase after any visible target at high speed so long as Naruto could exhale and keep the technique up.

From Kibou Naruto learned fast and efficient ways to concentrate chakra into his hands. As Naruto got better he would mold the chakra into a blade around his hand, and use it to assist Kibou with making clothes. Kibou insisted on talking as they worked, so Naruto told him what had gone on during the day while Kibou would tell him anything of interest that happened in the store. This improved Naruto's concentration. Kibou impressed Naruto with his ability to, with one finger, cut the steel mesh that he used for extra weight and protection of the clothes that he sold to Shinobi, for that was who his biggest customers were.

Naruto learned different sewing styles and how each piece of clothing was sewn together. When he was good enough to concentrate the chakra around a single finger Kibou started to show him how to wrap the chakra around a needle so it would put less stress on the fabric than just forcing the needle through. He was even shown how to emboss leather to create patterns and make it easier to fold and use. When Naruto made his first Kunai Holster, after six months, he embossed a stylized fox head on it. In congratulations Kibou allowed him to keep it and said that he was now ready to work solo in the back room.

Naruto accepted and enjoyed the quiet time in the back room, because it was what Kyuubi considered Nap Time, and it was really the only time the Great Fox slept, training Naruto in his sleep about history or tactics concerning different terrains, enemies, and a myriad of other things other than just new techniques. But while Naruto worked in the back room, or with Keito, Kyuubi slept.

Keito was a harsh task master, pushing Naruto to ever higher goals in strength, speed, and endurance. But she was also patient, helping Naruto perfect his stance and the flow of movements time and time again. Naruto learned how to use weapons properly instead of just, what she called, the 'flim-flam' that he learned at the academy. When she thought he was ready she taught Naruto how to use the small forge that she kept in the back yard. He learned how to work the metal and repair damaged Kunai and shuriken, as well as making molds to fit his hands, and learning how to melt and pour the metal to make his own sets of weapons. He also learned to make blades and metal folding techniques to increase the strength.

The Taijutsu was not, as Naruto had expected, just one style, but five, and Keito expected him to learn each flawlessly before he made his own form from them. There was the Earth style, one of hard kicks and punches concentrating Chakra into a fist or foot to increase the power of the impact, and into the body to harden and guard against the attacks of others. The Fire style that used feints and diversions to distract from the actual attack, concentrating the Chakra in a special manner to make after images that threw off the opponent while making burning punches and kicks with the same concentrated Chakra that he used for the cloth. The Water Style that focused on using your opponent's strength against them through flowing movements, using chakra to catch the opponent's attack and make it impossible for them to get out of his grip. The Wind Style, another flowing style, but much faster, used to get inside an opponent's guard when they attacked and making slashing attacks with the hands concentrating chakra into the fingers to burn his opponent. And the last style, Lightning Style, pure speed to dodge, as piercing attacks were made with the pointer and middle finger, Chakra formed around each so that they came together into a point, designed to immobilize the opponent by targeting specific pressure points and joints. Though he could never beet her in a fight he did learn all the stances and movements. And every time, at the start of the week either Kibou or Keito would come to him, making hand seals and increasing the weight of Naruto's Jacket and pants.

Naruto spent his entire time training until finally two years had passed since the start of school and Naruto had turned twelve, and had his first actual birthday with Kibou and Keito, a very emotional experience for him, it was also time for the first Gennin exam for his class. Naruto was surprised, that so much time had passed, to him it was all a blur, but he had changed, that much was obvious. No longer was he the shy repressed boy that he had been before, now he was smiling more, and instead of letting all the glares and cold looks get to him he ignored them. But the only time that he ever fully came out of his shell was when he was with Kibou and Keito, laughing, joking, and pulling some practical jokes, something he was very good at. He also found out that he had, what felt like, unlimited energy, letting him train or work in the back room for long periods of time without resting. Naruto also took to carrying around with him a sketch pad that he would draw in, sketching any new styles of clothing or ideas that came to him for patterns. Once a week the three of them would sit down with his sketches and talk about them and they would pick one or two things and test them out, and if they sold well then Naruto would make more and keep a part of the money made from them. But there was one thing about Naruto that didn't change over those two years, the book that he had gotten that fateful night, he kept it with him at all times, in a protected pocket of his jacket.

Naruto was lost in thought about forearm protectors and if there was a way to increase the mobility without taking away from the defense that they provided, when his name was called for the test. He had to be called two more times and have the kid next to him kick his leg under the table before Naruto responded.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up confused.

Mizuki, one of the other teachers, rolled his eyes and shook his head. Iruka frowned. "I said that it's your Turn, Naruto, unless you don't think you can pass the test." There were several sniggers from the students and Naruto Blushed in embarrassment. He got up and went down to the front of the class while the students murmured and pointed behind him. Naruto stepped in front of the desk that both Iruka and Mizuki were sitting behind, when he realized he didn't know what he had to do.

"Uh…" Naruto scratches the back of his head, embarrassed anew. "What do I have to do again?" The students behind him started to laugh and Iruka rubbed his forehead.

"You have to make two Clones using the _Bunshin no Jutsu_, and then use a _Henge no Jutsu_ (Transformation Technique) to look like either me or Iruka." Mizuki explained. "You get three chances at each."

"Oh, ok." Naruto smiled as he decided to have some fun as this would be the last day in the class. He jumped up flipping over in the air calling out the word. "HENGE!" Naruto landed looking just like Iruka except that from behind he had a sign that said 'Kick Me' the students burst out laughing except for one boy in black hair who just scowled at the stupid antics of the 'Dead Last' student. "Huh? What? Did I do something wrong?" Naruto turned to look at the rest of the class, his back facing the two teachers so they could see the sign, he then changed back, smiling as the rest of the students continued to laugh.

But Iruka was not laughing. He glared at Mizuki who wasn't trying very hard to cover his smile. "Naruto the exercise was for you to make a copy of me exactly." Iruka said as he stood up, upset about being made the butt of the joke.

"So you don't have a 'kick me' sign on your back?" Naruto saw Mizuki glance at Iruka from behind as he sipped some water, followed by him almost choking on his water. Iruka turned and looked at Mizuki, confusion growing as the class burst out into laughter once again. Iruka's eyes grew wide with anger and confusion as he reached behind his back and felt the paper, he ripped it off, not even bothering to read it as he balled it up angrily and threw it away. Now he couldn't say that Naruto hadn't preformed the Henge correctly.

Some of the smarter students were watching Naruto carefully. That trick that he just pulled was a combination of things that Naruto, as 'dead last' shouldn't have been able to do. It was very fast, very stealthy, and only a few people noticed what he was doing. Iruka hadn't because he thought Naruto was too low to pull something like that, and Mizuki hadn't seen it because he was watching one of the female teachers walk past the open door. But several of the smarter students noted that Naruto was hiding something, namely, his true skill level.

Naruto went on to perform the bunshin no jutsu, accidentally making four clones instead of just two, because he was used to needing the extra chakra for making Kage bunshin to spar against. The four clones looked at each other in slight confusion before smiling and they started singing a barber shop quartet song that Kibou loved to listen to while they worked. The real Naruto stepped forward and looked at the teachers. "So, um… Do I pass?" Iruka was pissed and glared at the clones as the song ended and they disappeared in a puff of smoke as each part stopped.

"Yes, Naruto, you passed." Mizuki picked up one of the head protectors that was on the desk and passed it to Naruto. "You must have spent all night practicing those."

"Yep, took me forever to get it right." Naruto lied as he took the head protector and tied it on. He then turned and walked back to the seat, feeling on top of the world as a few of the students congratulated him on his prank. Naruto sat down at his chair and noticed something was wrong. It took him a moment to figure out what it was, his notebook was gone. "Hey, my Notebook, where is it?" Naruto looked around and under the desk. Naruto got worried when he couldn't find it. Then he saw two boys looking down at a notebook that looked just like his he ran towards them. "HEY! Give it back!" Naruto shouted as he tried to grab it.

Monban, one of the kids looking at the notebook grabbed it out of Naruto's reach reading allowed. "Double layers of silk used more often than single? What is this? Been reading women's clothing magazines?" He laughed and threw the notebook to someone else.

Naruto leapt after the notebook grabbing it and stuffing it into his jacket he handed hard on the ground due to the amount of weight that he was wearing after approximately seventeen weight increases leaving it at roughly 300 lbs. Everyone was surprised when the wood floor cracked and everyone felt it as the room shook a bit.

"Naruto go back to your seat." Iruka said angrily at the interruption. When Naruto went back to his chair there were two cracked indentations where he had landed.

"**Congratulations Kid."** Kyuubi said to Naruto sarcasm dripping. **"You got your Head Protector. Gave away that you're not dead last to anyone who even thought about what you did. Gave away that you're wearing weights, and a weakness, that stupid notebook of yours."**

Naruto knew that Kyuubi was right, but that didn't stop him from being upset. He spent the rest of the day quiet and withdrawn, not responding even when one of his classmates approached him, wondering how he had gotten the sign attached to Iruka.

When they were dismissed Naruto walked out in silence. While the other students were congratulated by their parents who had come to pick them up. Happy cries of children and parents only pushed him deeper into his depression. He didn't even notice when a girl made to follow after him and was stopped but was stopped by a man, her father, who shook his head and they both watched in silence as the boy walked away. One set of pail lavender eyes watching him, sorry to see the boy who was so happy only a little while ago, turn into the depressed one walking alone.

"Does he always leave alone?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked his daughter.

"Y…yes F…Father," stuttered Hyuuga Hinata. She looked up at her father and saw that he had activated the bloodline limit of their family, the Byakugan, and followed the retreating back of the boy with his eyes.

Hiashi nodded a little as it deactivated. "He is stronger than people give him credit for. He will make quite a name for himself in the future." He looked down at his daughter who was looking up at him confused and he gave her one of his rare smiles. "Watch him, you'll see. Now Hinata, I believe some of your friends are having a party to celebrate. I will send someone from the branch house to pick you up in a few hours." With that he turned and walked away, headed back to the estate. Hinata's friends called out to her to join them, and she looked back towards Naruto and saw he was already out of sight. She then went to join her friends, wondering what her father had meant.

Naruto walked towards the shop, his feet on automatic as he was deep in thought about his book that he almost didn't notice when he had gotten to the store. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, wondering why the lights were turned off when suddenly they turned on and Kibou and Keito jumped out from behind the counter.

"CONGRADULATIONS," they both chorused!

Kibou walked over and thumped him on the back. "Always knew you would do it, now you're a true shinobi. And you've got the forehead Protector to prove it." The man was beaming at him as he thumped him on the back once again. Naruto couldn't help but break into a smile.

Keito grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, and kissed him on his cheeks making him blush. "We're so proud of you. This is a big step for you, and you've got to be ready for what is to come in the future."

"But… I thought you said that the academy was stupid. That it wasn't important." Naruto was happy and confused at the same time, happy that they were congratulating him, but confused because the congratulations weren't making any sense to him.

"Silly kid, we're congratulating you for getting out of the school and starting your life as a Shinobi. Come on we've got cake and drinks in the back." And so Naruto was ushered into the back room where there was indeed cake and drinks. When Naruto saw the banner that hung above the cake that said 'Congratulations Naruto' he started to cry. Without comment both Kibou and Keito hugged him, they both knew that Naruto had had a hard life, far harder than most people who lived in Leaf. This boy who had so much potential, and such a good heart, had been broken by the cruelties of the people of the village they called home. They held him for a few minutes until his crying slowly backed down until he was just holding the two of them close to him.

"Thank you…" He let go of them and stepped back. "For caring about me," he wiped away the tears on his cheek with the sleeve of his jacket. "I shouldn't be crying I'm sorry."

Keito walked up to him and put a hand on his cheek making her look up at her. "It's alright to cry, when you're happy." Naruto smiled at them.

"Come on." Kibou said kindly, leading Naruto over to the table. "Let's eat before the flies get to it."

Naruto smiled again and wiped his tears away as they sat down to eat, Naruto told them how he had passed the exam and they laughed along with him, though Kyuubi grumbled in the background of Naruto's mind.

"Well, tomorrow you'll get assigned a Jounin instructor, and they'll give you you're final test." Kibou said, leaning back in a chair, a drink in one hand.

"Final test," Naruto asked around a mouthful of cake?

"Yes, Naruto, final test," Keito answered. "Your instructor will test you and your team to see if you are ready to actually become Genin. The test varies from Jounin to Jounin, so I can't give you any tips on how to pass. But just remember this. You were put into teams for a reason. You won't be just one person, but a team."

"And you'll have us, our training, and other things we've taught you." Kibou reached over to pat Naruto on the back. "And one more thing," at this Kibou gripped Naruto's shoulder firmly and looked into his eyes, the boys eyes met him as he listened intently. "'Never give up and you can overcome any challenge.'" He reached over and patted the book in Naruto's jacket pocket. "The Yondiame said that." Naruto remembered those words, and he would never forget them so long as he lived.

"Now, before you go Naruto, we have some things to give you." Keito reached under the main work table and pulled out several things. A long metal box depicting the five elements coming together at a central point symbolized by the ying-yang, when opened five scrolls were revealed, each with the symbol of the five elements that he studied with her. A kit of needles and thread with a scroll of their own. And finally a necklace, a fox pendant, the small body made of brass, the tails wrapping up around it made of a red opalescent material that seemed to glow on its own, each ending in a white tip, red ruby eyes looking out, burning with inner fire. Naruto could hardly tear his eyes away from the necklace when Keito started to speak again.

"Now Naruto this is very important. The scrolls in this case are my clan's legacy." Her hands rested on the metal case. "I am the last of my clan, and because of a disease that whipped out all the others, I cannot bear children." Kibou came up behind her and put his arms around her. "In the short time we've known each other, Naruto you have become part of our family." She reached up to wipe away a tear. "The son we could never have. Now before you say anything, we both talked it over long and hard last night. We feel that you are the best person to trust with these. Inside each of the scrolls are the final parts of the training that we didn't get to and the Final Attack for each. Because of the special chakra flowing techniques I taught you they can't be copied you would have to teach how to do it." She took a deep breath and looked Naruto directly in his eyes. "If you accept you must promise to never teach any of these to anyone who is not part of your family."

Naruto looked at her, his mouth hanging open for a minute. He thought about what she had said, about the scrolls and what they meant. The trust that she was placing on his shoulders, and then he thought about the most important thing she had said, overshadowing all others in his mind, 'you have become part of our family… the son we could never have.' And his mind was made up. He closed his mouth and nodded to her. "I give you my word."

Keito smiled at him as he closed the box. "Give me your hands." He did, she placed his hands on the top of the box and her hands on top of his. "_Baindo Tensou no Jutsu! _(Lock Transfer Technique)" Naruto felt a spark leap from her hands to his, and then, feeling the spark take a little of his Chakra, jump to the box, which glowed red for a moment. When they lifted their hands the pattern had changed. Now it depicted a fox with nine tails, five tails reaching out to form a pentagram, each one symbolizing a different element, and the four remaining tails circling around a central ying-yang, the fox standing protectively over it. When he saw the fox depiction his first reaction was to step back, feeling he had done something wrong, he looked up at Keito who was looking at the box, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Don't be afraid boy, it's alright, we already knew, and by the look of it so do you, but I won't ask how you found out." Kibou said looking at Naruto. "I knew you were the container for the Kyuubi when you told me your name that first day. So does everyone else, though they are forbidden to tell it to the younger generation. That's why they looked at you so coldly, they think of you as the demon and blame you for what happened eleven years ago."

"Then… why? Why treat me like this, like…a son?" Naruto stammered.

"Because, Naruto." Keito said walking over to him and putting a hand on his cheek. "You aren't the demon. You are a boy with a great responsibility. Most people can't see that, but we did. And don't you ever forget it. You are Uzumaki Naruto, not the demon Kyuubi, and we love you as a son." And she hugged him again, pulling him tightly into her embrace. Naruto hugged her back just as tightly, he had a family now.

"Now onto my gift," Kibou said after they had broken the hug. He reached over and picked up the small sewing kit and scroll handing them to Naruto. "The sewing kit is yours to keep, remember a ninja is always self sufficient. Keep your clothes in good condition and they will last as long as you need them for. Besides, you'd be surprised how much more a woman appreciates a man who can fix the holes in his socks." He winked at Keito and they all laughed. "And that scroll contains nothing as special as the ones my wife gave you. But it does contain a useful genjutsu, the _Hada Gisou no Jutsu_ (Body Camouflage Technique) it basically takes a picture of your surroundings and surrounds you with it, so as long as you don't move you appear to vanish. The scroll also has the jutsu for altering weight, the one we used on your jacket and pants for training, now you'll be able to alter them whenever you want."

"And now, for your final gift," Keito picked up the necklace on a silver chain and walked behind Naruto, putting it around his neck and locking the latch taking his hand she put it over the lock and repeated the jutsu that she had used on him and the box, the chain glowed for a moment before turning a deep red. "Only you can remove the necklace or open the box, it will only recognize your chakra. There is a Jutsu carved into the back of the pendant, it will absorb any of the extra chakra that you give off, it can hold a fair amount before it stops. To reclaim the power that it has stored put your hand over it and say the name of your Furry Friend." She looked at Naruto and then pointedly at his belly.

"Huh?" Naruto was confused.

"**My name you fool, Kyuubi."** He objected to being called Naruto's 'Furry Friend' but not too loudly.

"OH!" Naruto's eyes widened as he finally got it. "Right, I got it."

"We figure that with you being a ninja now, you won't be able to work here any more." This thought had not occurred to Naruto and it looked like he was suddenly conflicted. "Don't worry. We knew this day would come though not like this. You'll still visit us right?"

"Of course I will." Naruto smiled as he took out his notebook. "I've still got things in here to talk with you about." They all smiled and settled in, Naruto opened to the page where he was working on new forearm protectors. "I was thinking about double layered Leather, with it sewn so that metal slats can be slipped inside for added protection. My problem is that I can't find a way of one handedly putting them on with them being fully secure."

"Well, let's see what you've got." Keito looked at the pages and smiled. They spent the rest of the night talking about the forearm protectors. It was late before Naruto left the shop after giving each of them a big hug. The metal box under his arm, the sewing kit and scroll in his pocket, and wearing the necklace, Naruto was happier than he had ever been before.

Naruto woke early the next day at Kyuubi's insistence, starting with his daily run and then running to the academy where his team and jounin instructor would be assigned. Naruto was now wearing the forehead protector and the kitsune pendant necklace, though he kept the necklace hidden under his shirt. Naruto made excellent time as he had released the jutsu on his clothing allowing it to return to its normal weight. Now, some two hundred pounds lighter he was almost a blur as he ran.

"**That's why I said to remove it. We don't know what will happen today or what this final test might be. It's best that you learn the difference between your weighted clothes and not so you can use your body to the best of your abilities." **Kyuubi said to him, laughing as Naruto skidded to a halt outside the Shinobi School.

Only one person saw Naruto arrive. Haruno Sakura almost screamed as the orange figure slid to a halt just in front of her. But she didn't scream she fainted. Naruto watched as the girl crumpled, confused as to why she had fainted. He walked up to her cautiously.

"Sakura?" He had never had much to do with the girl. He thought she was cute but he had seen how she acted around one of the other boys in the class, Uchiha Sasuke. His thoughts were brushed away as she started to wake up. "Are you alright? You fainted."

"IDIOT," Sakura jumped up! "You shouldn't run up to a girl like that. I thought you were attacking me!" That confused Naruto, but he apologized.

"I'm sorry, I always run to school in the morning, and I got um… excited." Trying desperately to think of a reason for him showing up early and so fast without giving up anything about himself.

"Huh, right." She obviously didn't believe him. Sakura looked around and sighed. "Come on, why are you really here? I always get here first and you usually get here last, but today you almost run me over to get to class?" She started walking to the class room, Naruto followed.

"It's uh… hard to explain." They walked into the empty room, Iruka's bag behind the desk showing that he was already there, probably went out to get a bite to eat before class started.

"Whatever." Sakura turned to look at her classmate, there was something different today. He moved so fast earlier, the way he carried himself was better, not hunched like he was weighed down. There was a spring in his step seeming to say that he was full of unreleased energy. "Look, what was with that book yesterday? I heard the bit about double layering of silk, but why would YOU have a notebook with stuff like that in it?" Her stance showed that she was going to get an answer one way or another, Naruto sighed.

"I live alone, and I needed a way to earn money after the orphanage kicked me out." Naruto explained, but Sakura was already confused.

Orphanage? Kicked out? Living Alone? She had never known any of this, and when she thought about it, she didn't know anything about him at all, so she listened to his story.

"So, I got a job at a clothing store. And well… I would do… um… scouting, for the owners." He was trying to think up a suitable lie so he wouldn't have to give up anything about Kibou and Keito. "I would see what people were wearing and taking notes, and they would pay me for keeping them… ahead of the other stores." Sakura looked at him for a long moment and then nodded, seeming to buy into his lie.

"That was smart of them. No one would suspect someone like you of scouting for a clothing store." Other people were arriving now, and Sakura moved away to fawn over the Uchiha as soon as he walked in the door, leaving Naruto alone again. But he was used to being alone and went back to his usual seat in the back.

Naruto sat, not really paying attention to what was going on, instead practicing his hand seals for his new attack _Katon:_ _Ryuuza Hane Hitofuki no Jutsu_ (Fire Type: Dragon Wing Gust Technique) a technique that let him summon fiery dragon wings that he could control for a short period of time. When his name was called he looked up startled and forgot what he was doing, and for a moment he put power into the jutsu causing a heat shimmer in the air on either side of him that dissipated quickly.

"Naruto, pay attention when someone's talking to you," Iruka sounded irritated as Naruto had been ignoring him calling his name five times. "I was assigning you to a team." He looked back down at his clipboard. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke, you will be Team Seven."

"Sensei," Sakura spoke up? "As much as I appreciate being on the same team as Sasuke." Sakura blushed at that. "Why do I have to be on a team with Naruto?" That comment really stung Naruto and his shoulders slumped as he looked down at his desk.

"Sakura, the teams are put together so as to balance out the members of the team. You, Sakura, are the best in class at the mental aspects, while Sasuke is the highest with physical aspects. Naruto on the other hand is the lowest at both and it was necessary for you three of you to be put on the same team. I am sure that Sasuke and you can make up for any of Naruto's Shortcomings. Maybe if he's lucky something of you will rub off on him. I'm sure you two will be fine." Iruka smirked at Naruto before going back to read from his list the names of the members of the other teams.

After all the different teams had been called, the students were told to wait in class for their jounin instructors to show up. Several of the teams' new teachers walked in immediately, seeming to say they had been waiting to take their teams. Soon there was less than half of the originating class, but no sign of the instructor for Team Seven. After half an hour there were two teams left seven and eight.

Kiba was playing ball with Akamaru, bouncing the ball off the wall or floor and having the dog jump after it. Shino was sitting by an open window, though no one could tell, he was watching a spider catch a butterfly in it's web, though he had quite an affinity for insects he knew better than to interfere, though it may save the butterfly the spider would starve, so instead he watched as the butterfly was wrapped in silk by the spider, learning from it.

Hinata was doing something a little more covert than Shino. With her bloodline activated he was watching Naruto, though her back was turned to him. Her bloodline limit, the Byakugan, or White Eyes, allowed her to see everything around her in a full 360 degrees, and see through objects and follow chakra flow. What she saw now made no sense. Naruto was sitting at an angle behind her as she pretended to watch Kiba and his dog. Naruto's chakra supply was one of the largest she had ever seen especially for a genie level and yet he was called 'dead last' she couldn't figure out why. She was going to keep watching him but it was at that point that the door opened and a woman walked in with the Leaf forehead protector resting on her brow.

"I am Yuuhi Kurenai." Everyone was looking at her now, except for Naruto who seemed oblivious. "I got the wrong time for picking up my team." She looked around the room a little confused. "I am here for Team Eight, you other three, you're team Seven correct?"

Sakura nodded. "Do you know where our instructor is? Did something happen to him?" While Sakura didn't mind spending time with Sasuke, she didn't like waiting.

Kurenai sighed and shook her head. "I am afraid that your teacher has been known for coming late. There is nothing I can do." She beckoned for her students.

Kiba laughed as he walked towards the door. "What are the odds? The team with the 'Dead Last' gets the dead last teacher." Shino didn't react as he also walked towards the door. Hinata however stopped and looked back at the last team and then at Kurenai.

"C… could they… could they come with us?" She looked at Kurenai and then couldn't help but glance back towards the boy in orange at the back of the room that still had not moved, or even reacted that they could tell since the woman walked into the room. The glance was not lost on Kurenai who also looked up at the boy in the back row for a moment. Sakura and Sasuke looked at Kurenai intently waiting for her decision.

"I don't see why not." She said after a moment. "It's his fault for being late anyway. I'll leave a note for him." She walked over to the blackboard and started writing a note for the late jounin. Sakura and Sasuke had started for the door, and after a moment Naruto shook his head and looked around, his eyes gained a far away look as if he was thinking. Kurenai finished her note and turned to see Naruto watching her, she was shocked by his eyes as he walked towards the door. So blue, so cold, they reminded her of ice, of bitter cold. She suppressed a shudder as the boy walked past her and out into the hall way with the others before following him out. She knew that he had led a harsh life and honestly felt sorry for him, but she could not show it or she would be in trouble with the other Nin, especially those who lost family to the Kyuubi.

Naruto was deep into a game of chess with Kyuubi, something that he took very seriously because he hated losing and he never managed to beet that damn fox yet. Suddenly Kyuubi had yelled at him to pay attention and he looked up to find the other people walking down the hall, headed outside, he followed after them, not realizing the pail eyed girl was following him, watching him intently.

As they walked Kurenai explained a little about what their duties would be as genin. Basically the lowest of the low jobs, babysitting, weeding gardens, walking dogs, picking up things and making deliveries, and that would progress until they passed to the next level, then they would get harder jobs to suit their abilities. But for now they were stuck with the small things. Among them only two people didn't say anything, Naruto who was absorbed in his game, and Shino, because he doesn't talk often. They got to Training Area Eight. Kurenai stopped them in a clearing.

"Alright, I need to get an idea of each of your abilities so I'll know your strength's and weaknesses and see where you need the most help, so do your best to impress me." Kurenai said, looking at each of the tree on her team. "Now, you pick the method by which you will show me." This was her test, she gave them a goal, impress her, there were a variety of methods that they could try, survival test, ask her to set up an obstacle course, have them fight against her to test them, but in her eyes, those were the wrong answers. The way to pass would be to spar against each other, so that not only she would know their strengths and weaknesses, but the entire team.

The members of Team Eight looked at each other, thinking the best way for them to 'impress' her.

"A fight of course, it's the best way. We should each fight Kurenai-sensei so she can know how good we are." Kiba said loudly, Akamaru barked in agreement. Hinata looked at Kurenai, obviously not wanting to fight her and looked down, biting her lip and pressing her fingers together. Shino looked thoughtful.

"No." It was the first thing Shino had said in her presence, and it wasn't very loud, but it had an instant effect. "It would not be fair for us to fight against her, and she should not be the only one to know our weaknesses."

Kurenai was surprised, Shino had gotten it right on the first try, where as Kiba had made the common mistake of overconfidence in his skills when challenging someone far superior to him in skills.

"W… what should we do then?" Hinata stuttered, but she looked relieved at the thought of not fighting their teacher.

"We should fight each other." Hinata paused for a moment between finger taps and looked at Shino, she didn't like the idea, but he was right, it was probably the best way so she nodded in agreement.

"Hold on, we don't have enough people, we would need to fight one on one for that, but we don't have enough time for two to fight and then rest while the other is still fresh." Now it was Kiba's turn to surprise her, he was also right, it wouldn't be fair.

"We should still do it, rotating, so we can see how we fight when at our strongest and weakened." And there it was, the final piece, Kurenai smiled, Shino would make a good leader, cool headed and logical.

It was at this point that a man jumped down from a tree on the Kohona side of the field. Everyone turned to look at it save Naruto who was loosing his game of chess and quite frustrated.

The man was dressed in black pants and jacket a jounin vest on over the jacket, worn with use. He was also wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, and his forehead protector was angled down over his left eye covering it completely. His silver hair stood out in the mostly dark clothing.

"Hatake Kakashi, instructor of Team Seven." He scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late, this little boy asked me to help with his homework…" He could not keep up the lie under the other Jounin's glare as she stalked over to him.

"Kakashi, today you were supposed to pick up your students." She was only a few feet away from Kakashi now. "You're over an hour late now!"

"I'm here now ok?" Kakashi looked over at his team. "Team Seven, follow me, we're going to our own Training Area." He turned and headed away to another area. Sakura looked at Sasuke and then together they went after Kakashi, a moment later Naruto looked up from his seat under a tree and followed after them.

Kurenai watched as Kakashi walked away. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into Kakashi." She murmured to no one. "And you better treat him well, or you'll have more than you can handle." She then turned back to her students and spoke out loud to them all. "Alright, first, Shino against Kiba, and then Hinata against the winner while the loser rests."

Kakashi led the three to another training area. He took them to an open area with three wooden stumps standing in a row. Kakashi jumps up onto the middle stump and sits down facing his young charges.

"Alright, introduce yourselves. First you," he pointed at Sasuke.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like many things at all. My dreams are reviving my clan and… to kill a certain man." He spoke with complete seriousness. Sakura stared at Sasuke. To her it was the most awesome, incredible thing he could have said. Kakashi looked as if he had expected that answer and sighed. Naruto on the other hand had pulled a fork attack on Kyuubi and had managed to take down the demon fox's Queen, so he was smiling happily, completely oblivious to the angst around him.

"I see, well then, how about you?" Kakashi said, looking at Sakura this time.

"Me? Ok, well… There is someone I like." Sakura blushed as her gaze darted to Sasuke who completely ignored her. "My dreams are…" Again she looked at Sasuke, blushing even more. "And as for things I hate? Well… Rivals! DAMN YOU INO PIG!" There was silence after her loud outburst. Kakashi sighed. He really didn't want to deal with a lovesick girl going through puberty. Naruto was scowling now, the outburst had distracted him and he had just lost because he misplaced a piece, Kyuubi's laughing didn't help either.

"And lastly, you," Kakashi pointed at Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto paused and listened to the last few minutes again in his mind reviewing what he had to tell. "Oh right. I am Uzumaki Naruto, I like… my teachers." Sakura stared at him, everyone knew that Iruka had always been mean to him, how could he like his teachers. Wait, teachers, plural? Was there someone else teaching him? Kakashi had also picked up on that. "I don't like mean people. And as for my dreams, I really want to become the greatest shinobi ever, greater than the Yondaime, so everyone will respect me."

Sasuke almost laughed, the 'dead last' become greater than the Fourth Hokage, it was never going to happen. Sakura looked at Naruto and wondered, what was it about this boy that made him want to be so great, even though everyone appeared to hate him. Kakashi smiled under his mask, this boy was interesting, he could already tell that this boy had great potential, and possibly, had already started to tap into it.

"Alright, it's late now, show up tomorrow here at Seven Sharp and we'll see if you're ready to really become Genin. And don't eat a breakfast, you'll regret it." And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What did he mean by that? 'If we're ready to really become Genin,' I thought we were already Genin." Sakura voiced her confusion to the other two members of her team.

"He's going to test us." Sakura was surprised that it was Naruto that spoke up. "Yesterday we were just tested to see if we had the skills to be a Genin, tomorrow we're going to be tested to be actual Genin. I intend to be ready." He started to walk away. "And I suggest that you do eat something tomorrow, we all need to be at our best."

Sakura watched as Naruto walked away, and almost missed Sasuke walking away as well. But she didn't and she turned and ran up to Sasuke pestering him with questions, but this time it wasn't just about him or her, she wanted to know about Naruto. This seemed to annoy Sasuke more than her just talking but to ask about the 'dead last' in his presence ticked him off. He was the best Naruto was the worst. There was nothing else that mattered in his mind other than strength.

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Quote the Speechless: Alright, Ghost Wolf has left, so it is up to me to close off this chapter. I am sorry that it took me this long to put up the chapter. Hopefully I should get the next chapter up next week, but don't count on it. I am in the process of moving all my possessions and those of the rest of my family into another house. But that will not stop me from writing. But it may stop my internet connection. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter, it probably won't happen very often, but on well. See you next time! 


	4. Team 7

Quote the Speechless: "Well, sorry for the wait folks, and Ghost Wolf won't be here either. I am currently on an island out in the middle of the ocean and enjoying myself. People were complaining that I needed a proofreader, so I got one, I would like to introduce Nonsooth!"

Nonsooth: "Direct any threats for tardiness to me."

Quote the Speechless: "Yes, yes, it is all her fault. No, scratch that, you can keep threatening me if you want. I am the writer after all."

Nonsooth: "Hold on, you call this writing?"

Quote the Speechless: "As a matter of fact I do. You will have to pardon her. She is not an avid manga reader like I am. But I am trying to convert her to our ways."

Nonsooth: "Do your worst."

Quote the Speechless: "I intend to. Anyway, on with the story!"

Legal stuff: I am sorry, I don't own Naruto.

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REVIEWS

Citan: I have not decided what pairing there will be yet, you will see as the chapter's progress. I have even decided if there will be pairings.

IQSymphic: Thank you for your consideration and support. I know I am not perfect, but I am working on it.

Crrot 6: They will come up in later chapters I am sure of it. Though at the time when first writing I didn't think too much of them, but I liked them and decided that they would be great characters to keep on. So yes, I will bring them back in later chapters, but you may have to wait a while. I plan on following the manga for the most part, but they will diverge when I feel it is right.

CrimsonxRainxIsxFalling: Several things: One, think things through before you make a threat. Two, if you ever try and take food away from me you had better be wearing full armor and be prepared to be turned into a tin can. Three, my hair has a mind of its own, not even I try to tame it, if you tried to do that to my hair I will not be responsible for what happens. Four, I completely agree with your siblings reactions to such treatment.

nantukoprime: I decided on this manner for him to grow up a long time ago, but it was hard for me to see where it would actually go until I started writing. I am still working on how he will interact with people that he has had little or no contact with, will he be suspicious, o welcoming? I am not sure yet. The differentces are that it is not an actual jutsu, just concentrated chakra. He does not have the skill for something like 'taking apart' clothing currently, but maybe sometime in the future. There are other such stores, and the Wonderland Clothing store is a small one, with a few people that come often. You will see in coming chapters how Naruto and Kyuubi will co-operate better, but for the past years the Kyuubi has been preparing Naruto for the big stuff. You will see what I mean. Yes I have researched kitsune before I even started this fic, I have even made up a lot of stuff that you will have to wait and see later. Besides, the Kyuubi never seemed to be very interested in illusions to me, or ever trying to trick Naruto in the manga. I have my own ideas and don't require your suggestions as to where the story should go. Materials that can hold and withstand Chakra flowing through them for long periods of time will come up later. I will just say that not just any materials can be used. Naruto was wrapping chakra around the needles before threading them, not imbuing them with chakra. Your opinion is much appreciated, even if I don't use any of your suggestions. I will release the chapters as I see fit, because I am busy with many activities I may not be able to release them in a timely manner. But I will continue to write them.

And thanks to JohnnyG, Night-Owl123, LbcLostKid, mrasdfghj, Dragon Man 180, WorldSoCold, HiddenShadows, MizzKyuubi, demonfox04, MingShun, wolvesm0on, ninofchaos, ntfoemy, ninofchaos, Hiei's Cute Girl, madnarutofan, omnikaze, omnikaze, RagefulLlama, Dairokkan, Dragonwolfpheonix, Ria Sakazaki, Black-Hood, keri2004, Dragon'sSword, uchika na kage, Tryxbella, E.A.V, Skuld's Sentaro4, Fic Slayr, whiterose03, and Dragon Noir, for their positive reviews.

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PS: Just a little note here. This will be the last time that I reply to the reviews that people give me, it is becoming too much of a haste to keep up with them as I am writing.

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Chapter Four

Naruto didn't head home immediately. Instead he walked to his own training area, practicing the stances of the Element's Styles. His eyes closed, he went though each of the movements slowly, feeling the movement of each muscle as he pulled in for a block or extended for an attack. Slowly, he sped up his attacks and found himself attaining new speeds without his weights. He even had to readjust himself so that he didn't get ahead of his abilities in terms of control. Slowly, he worked on building his speed, until he could go through the moves flawlessly at about half of full speed.

Naruto finished his training a little while after the sun had fallen below the horizon. He made his way home, feeling elated at his newly recognized strength and speed. Naruto came up with a plan to fully utilize his Jutsu that changed the weights and decided that he would continue to add weight like Keito and Kibou had done, and only remove it if he needed to fight,. Even then, it would only be reduced by half, unless he absolutely needed to be rid of it all.

When he got home, Naruto got out some Instant Ramen for his dinner. He didn't have it often, having learned to eat better from Keito's lectures on nutrition, but felt that he deserved it tonight. He settled down on the couch with the steaming bowl.

"Am I really ready?" Naruto asked aloud, which he only ever did when he was alone.

"**Yes. You are strong enough, you have enough techniques, and you have the speed as well. You need to work on strategy, but for that you've got me. You'll be fine." **Kyuubi was doing the equivalent of curling up to go to sleep.** "No teaching tonight. Just dream and relax, you'll need to be at your best tomorrow. I will not allow my container to fail the exam."** And with that the Great Nine Tailed Demon Fox drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Great Nine Tailed Demon Vixen. When Naruto went to sleep, he had some odd dreams indeed.

The next day, Naruto came early to the Team Seven training area, forgoing his usual run. He had set the weight of his clothes to full weight, but was ready to take some of it off should he need to. Naruto had eaten a good breakfast and was feeling at full strength. He had even brought some things with him to keep him occupied until the time arrived. Naruto pulled a piece of leather from the bag as well as a thick needle and heavy waxed string. Using his chakra training from Kibou, Naruto brought a light amount to the palm of his hand and ran it along both sides of the leather, heating it and making it easier to work with. His goal today was to make some sturdy forearm bracers. When the piece he was working on became ready, he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and wrapped the leather around his forearm, tying it into place with some of the string. When he had it properly set and tied he found where he would need to cut it for the proper length and width, marking it with a pencil he then untied the leather and set it down. Using a kunai, because he wanted to conserve chakra, he cut the leather so it would reach from just after his wrist, almost all the way to his elbow.

Naruto continued to work and was half finished when Sakura and Sasuke arrived. They had come just in time and had expected to see Kakashi already there, but he was not. Instead they saw Naruto doing something under a tree. They both walked over towards him, curious to see what he was doing and if he knew where their instructor was.

Naruto was working on putting in a layer of thinner, softer leather on the inside of the bracers so they would be comfortable, when two shadows fall across his lap. He looked up to see Sasuke, with Sakura just behind him.

"Hey, where's our teacher?" The inflection on the 'our' made it perfectly clear that in his opinion, it was only for him. Naruto frowned and looked around the training area.

"Not here?" Naruto shrugged. "Could you please move a little, you're in my light?" Naruto didn't want any trouble this early. He just wanted to finish the bracers in peace. Sasuke was angry. How DARE the Dead Last talk to him like that! He scowled down at Naruto, who had gone back to attaching the inner layer, before turning and walking away. He had not eaten today because he would do whatever the teacher said for him to pass and get stronger. Sakura looked at Naruto, curious about what he was doing, but then at Sasuke, who was walking away, and she followed him. She had had a little to eat, seeing the logic in what Naruto had said, but she felt guilty for going Kakashi's advice and didn't eat much.

Naruto continued to work, using small chakra burns to attach the two pieces of leather. When it was done he remolded the bracers to his arms. Once they were to size, he got out several buckles from his bag, ones that he'd gotten from Kibou earlier that year but had never managed to use until now. He had attached them and was working on putting holes in the straps when Kakashi arrived. He was alerted by an aggravated shout from Sakura.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura was angry and hungry, and Sasuke had refused to talk with her after Naruto had brushed him off.

"I'm sorry, there was a little old lady…" Kakashi trailed off under the glare of Sakura.

"LIAR!" Sakura shouted. Naruto sighed and went back to finishing the bracers, he had just a little more to do. Kakashi looked around and saw that Sasuke was angry that he was late as well, but had not said anything. He spied Naruto under the tree and saw him working on the bracers. How had he learned to make them? A book? Possibly, but Naruto was doing it now without any reference to aid him. Hmmm, he would look into that later. Kakashi walked over to the middle log and set an alarm clock down on top of it. He hit it and turned to his students.

"You three have until noon to get these two bells from me." He held up two silver bells on strings. "If you can get the bells from me, you pass. Ready?" He looked at Sasuke who had tensed up ready to go, and to Sakura, already planning, and then to Naruto who seemed completely oblivious. He sighed and looked at the two ready students. "GO!" And with that, the three of them disappeared.

Naruto smiled to himself as he attached the one of the buckles. Only three more to go. Little did the others know but he had sent a Clone to watch while he finished the bracers.

Kakashi wondered if Naruto had even heard a word he had said, but didn't have time to wonder for long, as several Shuriken flew out from behind a bush directly at him. He ducked them and reached into his bag, taking out a single object.

Sakura watched in confusion as Kakashi pulled out a book and started to read. And what was Naruto doing? He was still under the tree attaching another buckle. She saw a flash of orange and looked, but there was nothing there. She turned back to see Kakashi catching a kunai on his finger, then turning the page, giggling to himself. This was going to be an odd day.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was setting traps and watching Kakashi. When he was ready, he jumped out and threw several kunai at the teacher. Kakashi sidestepped them easily but one of the kunai cut a wire and threw a collection of kunai and shuriken at the ninja.

Kakashi dodged those as well, realizing too late that he had been maneuvered so that the projectiles he had just dodged were heading straight for Naruto at high speed. He was about to rush and stop them when Sasuke attacked, distracting him.

The clone jumped down and caught the Kunai and Shuriken. Using the fluid movements of the Water Style, each of the projectiles were thrown back at the fighting duo. Naruto smiled as he attached the last buckle, he then rolled up his sleeves and put them on.

Kakashi was smiling. This boy was good, he couldn't even read his book with the Uchiha attacking him. He hadn't heard the sounds of Sasuke's previous attack harming Naruto, so he assumed the blonde was alright. He was surprised when suddenly the same shuriken and Kunai he had just dodged came at him again. He and Sasuke jumped apart to dodge the oncoming barrage. How? There were no strings that he could see. He saw Naruto standing up now, rolling his sleeves down. Had he done this? He was so distracted that he almost missed Sakura rushing in, trying to grab one of the bells.

Sakura had seen an opening. Kakashi was having a handful with Sasuke on his own and when the attack came back from what she could only call the 'other' Naruto, he had left an opening. She rushed, but she wasn't as fast as the boys and completely missed as Kakashi jumped up into a tree.

Naruto felt that now was a proper time to enter the battle. He released the clone that disappeared in a puff of smoke and charged in and attacked using the basic style that they taught at the academy. He wasn't very good at it because he had mostly focused on the other styles. So while Sasuke distracted him with his attacks, Naruto tried to slip in and get the bells.

Kakashi was not impressed with Naruto's performance so far. The attacks were sloppy and his form was bad. But then, what had happened before? It was because of this that he was completely caught off guard by Sasuke performing hand seals, Kakashi recognized the attack and jumped out of the way of the Great Fireball only to find Naruto in front of him standing in a different stance than before, one that he didn't recognize.

"Lightning Style," Naruto said with a smile as he attacked, using two Kunai instead of gathering chakra into his fingertips. He didn't want to give everything away. He attacked very quickly, far faster than before, and this time his movements weren't forced like they were before. But Naruto wasn't going for the bells, he was attacking directly, targeting specific points with the Kunai.

Kakashi dodged for blocked his attacks, so surprised at the sudden change that he almost missed when Sasuke joined in, also attacking directly. But for him, they were still slow and he managed to dodge or block every one of the attacks made by both the boys. It was when the boys both did spinning kicks towards Kakashi's head that the last member of Team Seven attacked.

Sakura saw Kakashi raise his hands to block both the spinning kicks and saw the opening that had been created. She threw a Kunai as she ran forward at full speed. The Kunai struck true and both the strings of the bells were cut. Sakura dove forward to grab them as they fell.

The alarm went off just as Kakashi's foot came up and caught the bells im mid-air. Sakura slid right under his foot, unable to catch the Bells that were now between his toes.

Sasuke and Naruto both jumped back from Kakashi when they heard the alarm and were disappointed to see that Kakashi still had the bells, whereas Sakura was sprawled out in the dirt.

"We failed didn't we?" Naruto asked as he dusted himself off. Sakura got up, feeling terrible. She felt that she had failed Sasuke. If she had gotten the bells, she would have given him one so they could both pass and stay together. Sasuke, on the other hand, was pissed. He couldn't fail, he's the "Number One' in their class. In his mind, this was all Naruto's fault. If the blonde hadn't barged in, he would have been able to get the bells on his own. Now, instead of him passing like he should have, he's going to get failed and sent back along with the ''Dead Last'! That was unacceptable. Sasuke started running through hand seals again, but Naruto stopped him.

"Don't, you'll just waste Chakra." Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Let us have one more chance. This time we'll work as a team instead of alone."

"But then only two of us will pass, and not the other." Sakura pointed out as she dusted herself off.

"Wrong." Kakashi shook his head. "The point of the exercise was for you all to work as a team. Only then would you have been able to get the bells from me. Didn't you see when Sasuke and Naruto attacked together, it left an opening for you, Sakura. There are two packets of food over by the bridge, divide it up among the three of you. You have a half hour, and then you had better come after me with everything you have to get the bells away from me." And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three alone.

The students walked over to the bridge and there were indeed two food packets waiting for them. They each looked at the others wondering how they were going to divide them.

"You two have them, I already ate this morning, a little more time won't cost me anything." Naruto turned and walked back over to the stumps, mulling over what he was going to do.

"**Take the weights off, he won't be expecting that. Use the other two as distractions. Have the girl attack at distance with Kunai and Shuriken. The other boy should attack him with his taijutsu. That should leave enough of an opening for you to get in and steal the bells,"** Kyuubi said from inside Naruto's Mind. Naruto smiled as he performed the necessary hand seals and tapped first his jacket and then pants, his back to Sakura and Sasuke so they couldn't see what he was doing. He then removed his jacket, folded it up and put it down under a tree, leaving him in a white t-shirt. His necklace was now visible, but he didn't really care so long as they didn't know what it did. He looked at his forearm bracer and decided that while the other two were eating the food packets hungrily, he place his own pattern on the blank leather. He removed the first one as he sat down and laid it against his leg. Gathering chakra into his finger, he began to work, embossing the leather.

Sakura watched Naruto as she ate. This one couldn't be the 'Dead Last' that had been in class with her for the past two years. She saw him fight. He was on par with Sasuke, once he had changed to that unfamiliar style anyway. He was smart too, not that she had ever really heard him speak much before. He had always been rather quiet in class. What had happened to him to make him like this? She decided that at first chance she would try and figure out Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke was fuming silently as he ate the food, glaring at Naruto. He didn't like Naruto before, and he didn't like him any more now. Stopping him from trying to get the bells when the jounin's guard was down, was he trying to keep Sasuke from passing? This wasn't the Dead Last that he remembered. What had changed? And what was he doing now? It looked like he was just running his finger over those bracers, but there was heat rising off. That made no sense, why would he be burning something he just made? Sasuke brushed it off, Naruto wasn't important, getting the bells was. Regretfully, it appeared that he would need the assistance of the girl, and yes, even the 'Dead Last.'

When they finished eating, they walked over to Naruto who was putting the bracers back on. What they saw when they got back was the embossing Naruto had done to it. It wasn't complex, just an outline really, of a fox's head, one on each bracer, each mirroring the other. Sakura had to admit they did look pretty cool, she looked at Sasuke and wondered if he could do anything like that. Sasuke, on the other hand, completely ignored the bracers.

"We do need a plan, and obviously a head on attack won't work," Sakura said. "We need two people to distract him and one person to go for the bells. It would have worked last time, except that we weren't working together." Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"We shouldn't have two people facing him in taijutsu, either," Naruto said, gaining puzzled looks from his team mates. "Look, we're both good, but our styles conflict, and we were getting into each other's way. Someone should attack up close, another from distance and the last should go for the bells." Sakura frowned.

"Who is going to take what part?" She was not as good at fighting as Sasuke or Naruto, but her speed wasn't enough to get the bells either. Naruto flashed a grin.

"Sasuke should attack him in taijutsu, he's better than me." This was not true, with his styles Naruto was better, but not by much, and he didn't want to give the styles away yet. "And Sakura has better aim than me with Kunai and Shuriken, so she should take distance." Again not quite true, he had often made the kunai strike the practice log at the academy backwards, to practice disarming an opponent from a distance without actually harming them. But what mattered was that his two team mates believed it was true. "So that means that I'm going in to get the kunai, and without my jacket I'll be a lot faster."

"What does your jacket have to do with how fast you are?" Sasuke asked, sounding a little irritated.

"Ok, you want to know? My jacket is weighted. I'm a lot faster without it on than I am with it on." They looked over at his jacket lying under a tree, and then back at Naruto. Sakura had to admit that without his jacket on she could tell that he was in quite good shape, though in her mind Sasuke was always in the best shape and no one could compare. Naruto looked at them both. "Does that sound good?" He was growing impatient. Sakura nodded, she was all for it, Sasuke frowned but nodded once. "Good then lets get into position." And with that they broke, and all together went to find Kakashi.

Kakashi was leaning against a tree reading his book and letting out little giggles, blushing as well. The three separated, taking up positions to better assist the plan. Sakura went up into the trees. Sasuke got as close as he dared and still kept hidden. Naruto found some cover to watch from, until he found the right time to strike.

Sasuke started the attack, rushing in on his own, throwing Kunai until he got close enough to engage the teacher in taijutsu. Sakura followed by throwing many shuriken in arching pathways, towards Kakashi. Together, they managed to maneuver him out onto a path through the woods. Naruto took up a runner's starting stance a little way along the path and when Kakashi was in his range, he thrust off the ground with all his might, racing forward to Kakashi and the bells.

Kakashi had realized already what they were doing, a complex team move from beginners, this was going to be interesting for sure. He was surprised when Naruto seemingly came out of no where and raced along the path towards him. He had never seen a genin move so fast before. There was no way he could be running that fast and still be in control of himself. Kakashi readied himself for a double attack from the two boys again, but it didn't come. The Naruto passed right by him. What? A Distraction? Kakashi shifted and felt the slight weight of the two bells on his belt loop, but Sasuke and Sakura had stopped their attack. In the distance, the Alarm could be heard going off.

"Looks like you all failed to get the bells," Kakashi sighed. It appeared that they didn't have what it took to work together. Just then, there were two dingles behind him. He reached down to his belt loop and found, not the bells, but two acorns where the bells should have been, attached with a different string. He turned to see Naruto sitting on a log, holding up both bells, grinning at the teacher. "Or you could have them already." He pulled the two acorns off his belt and inadvertently ripped one end of the belt loop off. "Damn it. Looks like I'll need to repair these when I get home." He looked at the genin who were in turn watching him, Naruto juggling the bells in one hand grinning happily.

"Alright, you three pass, show up here tomorrow for your first mission," Kakashi smiled at them. He looked at the genin who were in turn watching him, Naruto juggling the bells in one hand, grinning happily. "You are officially Team Seven. I look forward to what is to be sure quite an interesting adventure with you three." His eye looked over each of them in turn. "Bye." And he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke turned and headed off the field without a word. Naruto stretched his arms and yawned a little to himself. Sakura looked at Naruto and then Sasuke, part of her wanted to chase after her heartthrob, but another part of her was wondering what Naruto was going to do.

"OY!" Both Sakura and Sasuke turned to Naruto, who had put his jacket back. "You two want to go get something to eat?" He smiled at them happily, They were a team, why shouldn't they get to know each other over a meal?

"Pah, I have better things to do then waste time with something like that," Sasuke scoffed and turned, heading back home, supposedly.

"Uh…" Sakura looked at Naruto apologetically. "Maybe some other time." She turned away and ran after Sasuke, who just ignored her.

"I thought we were supposed to be a team…" Naruto mumbled to himself.

"**You three have a way to go before you become an actual team,**" Kyuubi said from inside his head. **"That boy, there's something up with him, not yet sure what. Maybe it has something to do with that 'Person to kill' or whatever. Anyway, put the weight back on and go get something to eat. I'm preparing something for you, but it will have to wait until tonight."**

"What is it Kyuubi-sensei?" Naruto thought so that only the Demon could hear him.

"**You'll see, Kid, just go get something to eat."** Kyuubi chuckled a little and retreated away from contact, working on whatever it was.

Naruto preformed the necessary seals and tapped his jacket and pants, instantly increasing their weight again. He walked off into town, wondering what the Great Spirit inside him had planned for him tonight.

* * *

Quote the Speechless: "HAHAHAHAHAHA! You will have to wait till next time to see what Kyuubi has planned. Aren't I EVIL!"

Nonsooth: "Pphhbbt." Sticks her tongue out at Quote the Speechless

Quote the Speechless: "I will appreciate it if you point that somewhere else. Anyway, you will have to wait till the next chapter to see what is in store for your hero."


	5. Essence

Quote the Speechless: Sorry that this took so long, the three of us have been moving into our various colleges, and this is the first chance we've gotten to all speak together, and get the 5th chapter ready.

Ghost Wolf: what has been happening while i was away?

Nonsooth: Umm... Naruto fights… and fights some more

Ghost Wolf: smart aleck

Quote the Speechless: that's my job. Now, do you think everything is set for this chapter to be posted?

Nonsooth: well, as soon as this conversation ends, I can finish proofing it and go to sleep

Ghost Wolf: at least you have been on speechless about writing his story while i was away. I congratulate you

Quote the Speechless: HEY! Was that a shot against my ability to continue a story?

Ghost Wolf: ya think!

Nonsooth: I would post a pithy reply if my brain wasn't fried

Quote the Speechless: go to sleep then, but first, THE STORY MUST CONTINUE

Nonsooth: then go away and leave me to my beta-ing

Quote the Speechless: alright, alright, go and do it

Ghost Wolf: let the woman sleep man!

Nonsooth: zzzzz

Quote the Speechless: everyone's a critic

* * *

Legal Stuff: Nope, sorry don't own it.

* * *

Chapter Five: Essence

A little while later, Naruto found a little shop that looked on the verge of closing down permanently. He walked in under the sign of "Ichiraku Ramen" and found his own little run down paradise. Naruto spent the next hour happily sampling the different Ramen that they had to offer. Luckily, he had been saving up and could pay for it all at the end. With the amount of money that he shelled out to them, the old man and his daughter could stay open for a few more days, and they would, if he promised to come back again, something he did without hesitation.

Naruto walked back to his little apartment, smiling to himself. The old man had been reluctant to sell to him at first, but when he showed that he did indeed have the money to pay he had been served his first Ramen… and then his second… and third. And with each passing bowl the man had come to smile at Naruto and then talk with him, until they were having a happy little conversation between Naruto's mouthfuls of the noodles. Naruto finally got an order from Kyuubi that he was ready and it was time to go home. Naruto paid for the Ramen and bowed to both the old man and his daughter, who both smiled at him. He then left the shop and then he walked home.

He walked into his home, closing and locking the door behind him before walking into the middle of the room and sitting down in a meditative position. Naruto closed his eyes and let his mind withdraw into himself. When he opened his eyes again and looked at his surroundings, he smiled at the change. Whereas before it had been dirty and smelly, now his room was clean with the faint smell of cloths, like the back room of the Wonderland Clothing store. It made him feel comfortable. He walked through the passages until he came to the cage that the held the Great Demon Spirit inside him.

It had been several months since Naruto had found that he could change the appearance of the areas on either side of the cage, if not the cage itself. It was for that reason that the other side of the bars appeared as Kyuubi had requested: a large barren wasteland of dried cracked earth. Kyuubi could be seen sitting up and watching the gateway for Naruto. When he arrived, the Fox stood up and walked over, kneeling down so he could look at Naruto through the gateway.

"Alright Sensei, what have you been planning?" Naruto sat down in a chair that he formed from his thoughts.

"**That guy with the silver hair, the teacher, he was going easy on you."** Naruto was not surprised by this. After all the man wasn't a Jounin for nothing. **"If it was a real battle you and those other two would have been dead before you could take three steps."** Naruto nodded a little. He knew he was good after all that training, but there was only so far he could go in two years. From what Keito had told him the last time, he was probably only upper level Genin or lower Chuunin. But when he perfected the Element Styles, and with the Chakra control and techniques that Kyuubi was teaching him, there was no doubt that he could make Jounin level in another couple of years.

"So what are you going to do?" Naruto looked up at the fox, curiosity brushing the other thoughts from his mind.

"**What I'm going to do is change your body. Specifically your senses, but there will be some other things as well." **Naruto knew that his senses were weak in comparison to the Demon in front of him, but he wondered how the fox was going to change him. Kyuubi smiled as he recognized the look that Naruto was giving him, curiosity with not a little apprehension. **"You may as well know, this is going to sting a bit, and your senses will be wild until you learn to control them. And not just your normal human senses, but I'll be giving you some of my own senses as well."**

Naruto bit his lip at the mention of pain but he knew that whatever gifts came along with the pain would greatly outweigh a little time's discomfort. So he looked up and met the gold and red eyes of the Fox. "Alright, I'm ready."

"**Good,"** the spirit nodded. **"Form a cup or bowl on your side, and follow my directions without question." **Kyuubi closed his eyes and concentrated. Naruto got the distinct feeling of seals being made and chakra being channeled as he held out his hands and formed a good sized bowl in his hands, wondering what it was for. It was then that Kyuubi's eyes opened wide, glowing red, focused on Naruto and the bowl that had been formed. Naruto was not expecting what happened next - Kyuubi spat, directly into the bowl, accurately filling it to the rim. The liquid bubbled and swirled of its own accord. It was not clear, but deep red, and glowing, reminding him of flowing lava. **"Drink it right now! I'd rather not bite my tongue again. Be sure not to miss a drop,"** the Demon commanded him.

Naruto hesitated only for an instant before bringing the bowl to his lips and drinking the blood. He felt it burning down his throat, setting his insides on fire, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop, not with those great glowing eyes still directed at him. When the bowl was empty, it fell from his hands and he collapsed to the floor, clutching at his belly as the fire spread outward and filled his entire body. His eyes clenched shut, his teeth grinding together. He missed the changes that were happening to him.

Kyuubi watched with interest as Naruto's hair turned red for an instant, and red fur sprouted down over his face and the rest of his body. His features became more fox-like, his ears got longer, teeth sharper. When his eyes opened for an instant, they were the same red and gold that looked down at him. Claws formed on his hands as the fur reached it. Most surprisingly, a red tail lashed out from between his pants and jacket, definitely a fox's tail. But then as it had come it went as well. The hair turned back to that striking blonde and the fur on his face receded. Along the rest of his body, the claws on his hands retreated and the fangs shrunk away. The tail was the last change to disappear. The fox was amused to see that Naruto's ears ALMOST returned to normal, but they remained just a little pointed at the tops. As the last of the features disappeared, Naruto slumped, breathing hard. The pain ebbed away, leaving him as he was before. Well, almost as he was before.

"STING A BIT?" Naruto yelled at the fox as soon as he got his voice back. He glared up at the great beast with his, once again, sky blue eyes. "I thought I was on FIRE! This had better be worth all that." Naruto paused and sat back, not bothering with the chair this time, then looked up at Kyuubi. "Uh… What was that anyway? I mean, it wasn't blood, right? You don't have a real body here."

"**Half right."** Kyuubi settled down, his eyes no longer glowing. **"I've told you before, in this place we are only spirit and energy. I don't have blood, but then what did you just drink? What it was is a little bit of my essence. Because of the seal, you would have gotten it eventually, I just sped up the process a little."**

"Does that mean you're going to disappear? Because you gave me part of yourself?" Emotions ran fleeting over Naruto's face. But what he got was a barking laugh.

"**HA! That little bit? No, I'll be with you till the end of your days, kid. At the rate that I was being absorbed by the seal and put into you, you would have to live several HUNDRED years."** Kyuubi paused for a moment to think. **"Come to think of it, because of your body absorbing me, you might actually live that long. But that's a long way away." **Naruto was shocked, he had never thought about living hundreds of years, and in truth, would rather not at the moment.

"**But anyway, you now have demon essence running through you, and not just when you call on my energy. This means several things. One: you will be able to draw on more of my power with fewer ill effects. Two: You will be able to use more than just the human techniques that I've been teaching you. Three: you will be able to activate demon seals and artifacts that you may find. There are several floating around the human world. I'll show you where I've hidden one or two when you're ready. And finally: you will be able to transform to some degree. That ability will increase as you absorb more of my essence."**

"Transform? Into what?" Naruto asked, both fear and excitement audible in his voice.

"**A Demon Fox. Don't worry, you'll still be you no matter what form you're in. And as of right now, you can only transform into a furry looking human, really, with a tail."** The Fox Yawned. **"We will talk about that some other time, but for now get up and walk around your apartment, get used to your new senses. When you sleep, I will instruct you on how to transform and use the additional demon senses that you have. Now go away, I want to take a nap." **He turned away and walked out over the barren fields. Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in his apartment, lying on his back, covered in now-cold sweat and a fading headache.

Naruto was almost flooded by he intensity of… well… everything! He could feel every ounce of the weights on his shoulders, the smallest breeze from the crack under the window. The buzz of a fly sounded like a swarm of bees. Though it was well after sunset and he had not turned on the lights, he could see perfectly, beyond perfectly. He could read the title of a discarded scroll in a dark corner as if it was in his hands. He could smell the sweat on his body, as well as several other distinct scents.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried focusing on a single smell. He found himself thinking of Kibou. Another scent reminded him of Keito. He found that he could pick out the aroma of just about anyone he had met in the past few days. Including Sakura, Sasuke, and all of team Eight. Both the teachers, Kurenai and Kakashi were harder to identify, though. He tried focusing on other things. He could smell the Ramen droplets on his shirt as if there was a steaming bowl in front of him. The taste of every flavor at the same time almost overwhelmed him.

Naruto realized that he was very tired when he tried to stand up and almost fell over. He made his way to his bed and lay down, not bothering to get under the covers. The bed creaked in protest at the added weight. He gritted his teeth against the sound but relaxed as it stopped. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, but the assault on his senses kept him awake for a long while until exhaustion finally claimed him.

As Naruto slept, Kyuubi instructed him on how to control the intensity of each of his normal senses, as well as the few demon senses he had been given. Some of the demon senses were harder to get used to. He could sense the spirits of other living things, from trees and grass to animals and birds. He could even sense other ninja. It was especially useful against ninja because very few knew how to hide their spirits like they could hide their chakra, something else Naruto could sense. Naruto was really surprised when Kyuubi told him he could see auras if he focused chakra into his eyes. Kyuubi was unsure if it would work, but he instructed Naruto to try to focus on an animal, to see if he could understand what they were trying to say.

As things were right then, each of the demon senses would drain chakra from him, but as he used them more and got used to them, they would drain less and do more. Also, he would not need to focus on them so much to keep them active. Another effect was that whenever he drew on one of Kyuubi's senses, he would change a little of himself until he had learned to control the senses completely. His eyes would turn red if he looked for the Auras of others, his ears would change to look more like the fox's if he tried to understand the languages of the animals, and his hair would turn red if he tried to sense the spirits.

As for transformation, Naruto would have to focus on fully transforming his body. When he did that, each of the demon's senses would come into full action, slowly draining his Chakra. But while he was transformed he would be faster, stronger, and more agile. Kyuubi also warned that if he got angry he may start to change involuntarily, so it was best if he kept control of his emotions.

By the time they were done, it was almost morning and time for Naruto to wake up.

* * *

Ghost Wolf: Well, all I can say is painful. You might be the quiet type but you are extremely cruel at times.

Quote the Speechless: Hey, it's not like I put him through unnecessary pain. The transformation was a good thing.

Ghost Wolf: Yes, but it was pain nonetheless. At least you gave him ramen.

Quote the Speechless: Yea well, someone would have hurt me if I didn't. Anyway, I think this is a good stopping point for now.

Ghost Wolf: Good Night All, sleep beckons.

Quote the Speechless: Yes, yes, but remember folks. This is where the story starts to get interesting. MWHAHAHAHAHA!


	6. Experience

Ghost Wolf: Well, here we are again.

Quote the Speechless: Oh, give it a rest. Don't you ever have anything positive to say?

Ghost Wolf: I am trying to be positive but it's not easy when everyone complains. Thanks to everyone who enjoys the story though.

Quote the Speechless: We haven't gotten that many complaints, but we have gotten a lot of positive reviews.

Ghost Wolf: Well then, thanks to all the positive reviewers. I am just sorry that Nonsooth couldn't be with us.

Quote the Speechless: Yes well, she is here in a way. She is the one that edited the chapter and corrected all of my grievous errors.

Ghost Wolf: I could say something about your spelling… But I won't.

Quote the Speechless: … Shut up…

* * *

Legal: I do not own Naruto. I am just a humble writer.

* * *

Time passed. Naruto was bored and Kyuubi was frustrated because Naruto was bored. Sasuke was agitated as well. Only Sakura and Kakashi didn't seem to be affected. What was the reason for all of this? Two words: yard work. It was the sixth D Rank mission they had taken, weed Mr. Sono's garden. Naruto hadn't been expecting anything big, but this was lower than he had expected by far. 

Their first 'mission' had been to deliver some scrolls across the village. They took it very seriously until they found out the scrolls were only cooking recipes. The second was to walk a large set of dogs around Konoha. In truth it was more like the dogs dragged all three of the genin around the village. The third had been to help a librarian reorganize the books. Naruto enjoyed the feeling of being back in the library, as it had been one of the places he used to hang out in before he had been kicked out of the orphanage.

So far the worst task had been the fourth, babysitting a set of five-year-old triplet boys. They were nightmares, each of them. None of the three genin could keep up with them, they didn't seem to need words to know what the others were thinking. At first it was little things, like confusing Sakura by switching names and getting 'upset' when Sakura couldn't get them straight. Then they moved on to Sasuke, pushing him to the limits by asking him inane questions without end, such as 'why?' When they finally moved on to Naruto, he thought he was prepared for them. He was wrong. He should have known that Tag was probably not the best idea when they looked at each other and smiled before running away from him while he counted to twenty. When he started looking for them, he could have sworn they were ninja by how well they hid themselves. Then one would pop up from behind a desk suddenly and disappear just as quickly when he jumped after. By the end of that 'mission' Sakura was on the verge of ripping her hair out, Sasuke had a twitch in his left eye and would reach for his kunai holster if he heard the question 'why?', and Naruto was exhausted and ready to swear that there were six of them, instead of three. Kakashi just chuckled and wished luck to the one that had to teach them when they became ninja. The mere thought caused the others to shudder.

By contrast, the fifth mission was a walk in the park. Literally. They had to deliver some tools from a woodworking shop to another. Along the way they walked though one of the most beautiful parks in Konoha. It was a beautiful day and they all enjoyed it. So here they were now, weeding Mr. Sono's garden. But Kyuubi was tired of having Naruto doing such menial tasks and Naruto was eager to agree.

"**Gods and Demons, kid, you're making slower progress now than you did when you were in the academy,"** the demon chided Naruto as he pulled up a dandelion and threw it into the pile. **"Next time you go to get a mission try and get a better one than just one of these stupid weeding jobs again."** Naruto nodded and kept working, it was a hot day and all three of the genin were sweating. It was too hot for them to even talk with each other, so they continued to work in silence except for the occasional mumbled threat against weeds or grumbles about how much longer it was going to take.

It was not quite true what Kyuubi said. Naruto and the others were improving quite quickly, but only in certain areas. The main thing that Kakashi focused on was team work. When they didn't have a mission, he would take them to their training grounds and give them a task to accomplish, like taking the bells from him, or keeping him away from the bells. Naruto was still training hard with the demon on different techniques and he spent time every night working on the stances for the Element Styles.

But it was also true that on the skills that Kyuubi focused, he was not improving as quickly as he had before. Naruto kept adding weight to his jacket. Once a week, he would increase the amount by one more step. Currently, the combined weight was around 300 lbs, causing him to expend chakra to keep from showing how much weight he was carrying around. The constant use of chakra tired him, but made him stronger.

Naruto brought it up when the three met at the bridge. "I am so tired of these stupid missions," Naruto said as he lay down under a tree. The other two joined him. Sasuke did so more to get out of the sun than anything else. He still disliked working with the two, but he didn't show it as much as he had before. Sakura sat down close to Sasuke. She would have sat with him anyway, but it was nice to get out of the sun.

"But what can we do? We're just Genin," Sakura said. Of the three she was the most resigned to the small time missions. Though she didn't show it, her inner mind was screaming to get out and get away from the petty missions.

Sasuke just snorted. He hated the missions. He had to train, that was the only way to get stronger, and these small time missions were doing nothing for him.

"I say that today, when we see the Hokage, we demand a better mission." Naruto looked at the other two to see their reactions. Sasuke perked up for a moment at the thought of a higher rank mission. Sakura looked torn. She knew she wasn't strong, and her fighting skills were far below those of her team mates, but when she looked at Sasuke she knew he would protect her, and so if he wanted a tougher mission, she would want one to. They both looked at Naruto and nodded. "Alright, here's what we do…" and the three of them leaned in, planning on how to get the Hokage to give them a better mission.

Deep inside Naruto, the Kyuubi grinned. With any luck they would get a mission out of Konoha and then he would be able to get Naruto to practice more with his demon senses, something they had been severely lacking in.

Kakashi arrived last, as usual. As he took the three genin up to the Hokage's office he noted the difference. They acted as though they were planning something. The Hokage was sitting behind his desk as usual when they arrived. Today, Iruka was with him, handing out the mission assignments. As their next set of duties were being read off, Naruto looked at the other two and rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on!" Naruto complained. He usually wasn't loud, but he felt it was necessary in these circumstances to get what he wanted. "All we've been doing is these stupid little things. Why can't we get something bigger? We're ready for it!" The other two genin nodded in agreement. Kakashi just groaned to himself, he was going to get in trouble for this, he just knew it.

"You IDIOT," Iruka yelled at Naruto. He was not pleased with the outburst, especially when it was his turn to be working with the Hokage. "You're just Genin, and even with Sakura and Sasuke, you aren't ready to take on even a C Class mission." Though he probably didn't mean it this time, that comment really got under Naruto's skin.

"You think I'm useless, is that it?" he spoke softly, but with an edge on it that reminded some of the ring of steel as it slid out of a sheath. When he looked up at Iruka, his eyes burned with cold contained anger. "I am NOT useless, and I could prove it if you gave me a chance." This action startled Sakura and Sasuke, it wasn't in the plan at all, and they had never heard Naruto speak like that before. It shook them deeply. Kakashi was tensed and ready to step in if something happened, when a little laugh from the Hokage completely broke the mood.

"Alright," he chuckled from under his large hat. "You others agree with him that you think you are ready?" Naruto just stared at him as Sasuke and Sakura nodded in turn. "Then you'll get your C Class Mission. Your mission is to protect a Mr. Tazuna on his trip back to the Wave Country. From there you will protect him until the completion of the bridge before returning."

"But Sir," Iruak interrupted. "They're just Genin!"

"Everyone deserves a chance Iruka, remember that," the old man smiled around his pipe. Naruto smiled back at the Hokage, he was getting not only a better mission, but a mission outside of Konoha. "Now show in Mr. Tazuna, so they may meet the one they are going to be looking after." Iruka nodded his assent, finally giving up the point as he got up and went to the door. Opening it, he ushered in a man in his late fifties holding a bag on his back and a bottle of Sake in his hand.

"These shrimps are supposed to protect me?" he asked, his voice only slightly slurred by the sake that he had drunk. "They look like a bunch of brats to me, especially the short one."

Naruto frowned at the man, already he didn't like him. He was supposed to spend time protecting him? This was going to be a long mission. The fact that Sakura giggled at his comment about the 'short one' was not helping at all. Naruto knew he was short.

"Many surprises come from the least expected source," Naruto said. The man stopped the bottle halfway to his lips and looked at Naruto, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"HA! I like you kid, that was a good one. I was half expecting you to fly off the handle." He laughed and tuned to look at the Hokage and then Kakashi, "Well? When do we leave?"

Kakashi turned to the Genin. "You have twenty minutes to get packed for a four day trip. Don't take anything you don't absolutely need. Meet at the East Gate with your bags ready."

"Yes, Sensei," they chorused before running out.

Naruto ran back to his little apartment, grabbed his stuff, and shoved it into a backpack. Grabbing all his Kunai, Shuriken and Senbon needles, he packed some into the bag and put the rest into his secret pockets in the jacket and pants.

"**Relax, kid. You're not going to war here. This is just a guard mission. And you're going to spend it training,"** but Kyuubi laughed. **"Pack half of your Shuriken and Kunai, don't worry about the needles. Besides you aren't as good with them as you are with the others. Don't bring any medical stuff, either. I can heal any injury you sustain."** Naruto nodded and took the demon's advice, packing only as instructed. A change of clothes, along with the weapons, went into his bag. He also brought the forearm bracers, and at Kyuubi's instruction, a pair of sunglasses and a bandanna. **"I'll explain later, Kid, when you need them."**

With everything packed, Naruto ran to the East Gate. The others were already there. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "My apartment isn't that close to this gate."

"You're not late, you're actually right on time," Kakashi said, as he stood off to the side with Tazuna. "Well, time to go." And with that they all started walking east, towards the coast where Wave Country was located. As they walked, Kakashi explained to them a little about the other ninja countries. "Many countries have Hidden villages, so they aren't reliant on the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Examples of this are Hidden Waterfall and Hidden Grass. Wave Country currently doesn't have the infrastructure to bring in the things necessary to make and sustain a Hidden Village."

"So, these other Hidden villages, do they have Kage? I mean is there is Kusakage in Grass, or a Takikage in Waterfall?" Sakura piped up, curiosity getting the better of her shy nature.

"Nope, only the Five Great Shinobi Countries have Kage to lead them. The villages just have an elder or powerful ninja to lead them, but they do not have the title of Kage. To get the title, they would have to be recognized by the other Great Countries, and there are some standards and things that are too boring to get into."

Naruto was walking ahead of the others. It was a bright day, so when he put on the sunglasses no body thought to question him about it. He started to focus Chakra into his eyes as Kyuubi instructed him. At first, nothing happened but then differences started to appear. The trees became greener, they seem to blur, as if the outline was solid but the colors started to bleed, mixing and interacting with the colors surrounding them. It wasn't just the trees but every living thing. A bird stood out in the tree as a vibrant ruby as it sang. Naruto had to restrain himself from trying to understand the song. If his ears changed it would be a dead giveaway as to the change that had come over him. Overall, the feeling from his surroundings, from the trees, was contentment. There was plenty of sunlight, and water under the ground for them, the soil was fertile and they had all they could need.

He glanced back at his teammates and teacher. Sakura's aura was pink with a tinge of blue that only spread a little way from her body, not as free as the trees auras. As she glanced over at Sasuke the intensity of the pink increased while the blue almost disappeared. Sakura blushed and looked away and slowly the colors returned to as they had been.

"**The different colors represent the different emotions,"** Kyuubi said. **"Depending on the intensity and color, you can see how a person feels and how strongly. This is the first level of the Demon Eyes. The pink of the girl is her affection for the other boy, the blue is her confidence. When she looks at the boy, her affection grows but her confidence disappears to almost nothing. For now, use the colors to identify emotions, but by the end of this trip, you should be able to work without the colors and know instinctively what a person's aura is."**

Naruto nodded and turned to look at his other teammate. Sasuke shocked him. There were no bright colors, only very dark ones. Black, dark blue, and dark green surrounded him. Black was the greatest color, blue the second, and the dark green last. As Naruto looked more there seemed to be another color, covering the others. It reminded him of the shifting colors that one sees when looking at oil.

"**Black is anger and hatred, undirected and wild, the most dangerous kind. That boy has a lot of it. I wonder what could have made him that way."** Kyuubi sounded a bit intrigued but moved on to the next color nonetheless. **"Blue, as I said before, is confidence. As you know, he is very confidant in his abilities and strength. Green is envy. This is a curious boy. He seems to have everything, and yet he is full of anger and envy. Just one more thing, that shimmer around him, that is the Aura of Madness. This boy is not the most stable of people mentally, be careful of him in future if you see that aura increase."**

"What are you looking at?" Sasuke snapped at Naruto, he had apparently noticed him looking and was not pleased. Naruto just smiled and turned around, he would look at Kakashi later if he could.

Naruto kept his Demon Eyes activated as they kept walking, it was then that he noticed the puddle. It was about twenty feet ahead of them and it shimmered blue, with some of that Aura of Madness. There was a new color as well, a shimmering purple. And when Naruto looked closer he saw that it was not just one, but two Auras.

"**Killing intent, that is the purple color. Be careful, those are human auras. Someone is hiding there, and laying in ambush. You most likely will be attacked, be on Guard."**

They walked past the puddle without event. It wasn't until after they had walked past the puddle that they were attacked. So quiet that not even Kakashi seemed to notice a figure rise from the puddle, another person on his back. They both had metal gauntlets on their arms, one had it on his left hand while the other had it on his right. Oddly, the gauntlets were connected by a long spiked chain.

Naruto whirled around at the sound of metal rattling. He grabbed a set of Kunai out of his holster and got them ready, but it was too late. Kakashi was wrapped fully in the chains.

"One Down," said the one with the gauntlet on his left hand. Both figures yanked on the chain and it shredded through the figure of Kakashi. Next, both figures appeared on either side of Naruto.

"Two Down," said the other. But it was not true. Sasuke jumped into the air. He threw a shuriken and pinned the chain to a tree, then a kunai through the hole in the shuriken so that the chain could not be removed. The nin tried to pull free but could not. As Sasuke came down, Naruto spun chakra around the Kunai in his hands as Kibou taught him and stabbed both the attackers in the elbow of their arms that had the gauntlets. The point that he aimed for was one that Keito had taught him with her Lightning Style. He managed to completely immobilize their arms while the chakra cauterized the wounds so they wouldn't bleed to death.

Sauske came down, grabbed the gauntlets, one in each hand, and turned. Then he kicked his feet out behind him and kicked the attackers in the face. It was at this point that the chains broke away from the gauntlets. The two were fazed for a moment by the kicks, but it wasn't enough to stop them. One attacked Naruto while the other rushed at Sakura and Tazuna.

Naruto only had a moment to bring his arms up. With his good arm, the attacker spun a kunai out of the pouch on his leg, seeming to ignore his inability to feel anything below the elbow of his other arm other than burning pain. Naruto felt the sting of his attacker's Kunai across the back of his hand before there was a black blur and the attack on him stopped.

Sasuke landed and saw one of the ninja launching himself at Sakura and Tazuna. He wasted no time in putting himself between the attacker and his apparent target, the bridge builder. But nothing happened. In a blur of black, Kakashi appeared, under each of his arms was one of the disabled ninja. What they had thought was Kakashi before was instead wooden logs that had only appeared to be him. Kakashi wasted no time in tying both of the attackers to a nearby tree.

"It seems that we have several problems currently. These are Mist Chuunin, from what I saw their target was Mr. Tazuna. Now through the mission grade selection process, the worst that can be expected for a C Class mission is occasional bandits. Only in A or B class missions are the enemies expected to be other ninja."

"Kakashi Sensei," Sakura said in a pleading tone. "We aren't ready to fight other shinobi."

"But we already accepted the mission. But that leads to another problem. Naruto has been injured, and the Kunai used against him was most likely poisoned." The others turned to look at Naruto and at his cut hand.

Naruto looked down at his hand where the cut was, it was not healing and already he could feel a burning sensation eating its way up his arm. Thankfully, Keito had insisted on teaching him at least a little first aid. With the others watching, he pulled off his jacket and grabbed the bandana from his bag, quickly using it to tie a tourniquet around his upper arm.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked him. The sight of blood still dripping from his hand was making her a little sick.

"I'm going to draw out the poison. I refuse to be the weakness that makes this mission turn back." He twirled a Kunai in his other hand and brought it down, cutting it diagonally across the back of his cut hand gritting his teeth against the pain. Soon the burning sensation lessened and completely died away.

"That's all very good Naruto, and you did the right things, but… that cut is too big and too deep. If it isn't treated properly, you could bleed to death." Naruto wished he could hit the man, but he was right. The cut was too deep, and for a normal person that could have meant a long slow death of blood loss. Naruto was not a normal person. Without saying anything, Naruto reached up with his good hand and untied the bandana from his upper arm. He started to tie it around his hand to stop the blood loss.

"Naruto that…" Kakashi's voice trailed off as he reached out to stop Naruto. But what he saw made him pause. The cut that Naruto had made was already healing. By the look of it, there wouldn't even be a scar. Kakashi looked up to find Naruto staring at him, challenging him to say anything. There was coldness in those blue eyes, which made Kakashi take another moment to think. "… that should do it, but I'll have to examine the… cut later."

"Alright, Kakashi Sensei," Naruto managed a small smile as he looked at the Jounin in front of him. He still had some reservations about him, but maybe, just maybe, he could trust this man enough to let him into his life. Naruto took that moment to finish tying the back of his hand off with the bandana though it was almost unnecessary now, and to examine the Aura of his teacher.

He didn't even bother trying to identify the colors but instead just tried to identify the feelings that came from each color. Currently, at the top was a lot of curiosity mixed with a little apprehension. But there was a great deal of confidence and much like the trees, there was the green calm.

Kakashi turned back to their attackers, only to find them glaring at him. His response was to start ticking off on fingers.

"Sunny day, plus no rain for days, equals… no puddles." He smiled at them. "Well, we'd love to stay and all, but we have to be going. Someone should be along to pick you up in a little while." He then turned to Tazuna who was looking more than a little worried. "Now that Naruto has been taken care of I have some questions for you."

"Please, I beg you, just take me to my village, I'll explain everything. Just please get me home to my daughter and Grandson," Tazuna pleaded with Kakashi. "Wave Country, my home, is failing. This bridge is its last hope. Ever since the crime lord Gatou set up business. He's the one in charge of the shipping between the islands of Wave and the mainland, among other thing. The rates he charges are severe, but that is not the only thing. Since he started, he's been moving in Drugs and other things, and the Mercenaries that he uses to guard them are scaring away all the people who have enough money to get out.

"All I ask is that you get me to the site. It's true that I lied. Gatou will do anything to see that I die and that the bridge is left unfinished. Please, get me there. Give my people a fighting chance." Naruto examined his aura and noticed he was telling the truth and he was sincere about his feelings.

"I don't know about you two," Naruto said as he cleaned off the Kunai that he had used against the Ninja. Everyone turned to look at him. "But I say we finish the mission. Besides, it might be interesting to fight some ninja from another village." That comment really sparked Sasuke's curiosity, and through him Naruto knew that he had Sakura hooked. Sakura really looked worried about the prospect of facing against other ninja but she would follow Sasuke to the depths of hell, so eventually she agreed.

"That's settled, come on," Kakashi turned and with Tazuna and the three Genin they headed down the road and onward to Wave Country. Everyone stayed on higher guard throughout the rest of the journey. Well, they presumed Kakashi was on higher alert. It was hard to tell when he was reading his book and giggling every few minutes.

To be Continued…

* * *

Quote the Speechless: Well it seems that Nonsooth has graced us with her presence. Any words of Wisdom from our Great Editor?

Nonsooth: Babysitting is Lots of fun. Except when it's not. Getting your ass kicked is also not fun (I speak from personal experience). Recent Experience too. As in Yesterday.

Quote the Speechless: Ah yes, the Joy of Contact sports. Rugby in this instance.

Nonsooth: And no padding.

Quote the Speechless: Thank you for editing the chapter. I am sure that the readers also appreciate it.

Nonsooth: Yea those run on sentences tend to be headache inducing after a while. To Readers: I suffer so you don't have to.

Quote the Speechless: And I'm sure their appreciation of you has risen to new heights.


	7. Encounter

Ghost Wolf: Due to the Load of work, I'm just going to throw in remarks occasionally.

Quote the Speechless: Many thanks to the peanut gallery.

Ghost Wolf: Well you need to apologize to your audience.

Quote the Speechless: Very True. I apologize to everyone for the wait. I am a college student and thus have been having a hard time with mid terms and now final projects.

Ghost Wolf: On with the story!

Quote the Speechless: "Wait, I'm not done apologizing." He dodges a textbook. "As I was saying… It has been hard for me to find time to write in such conditions. But I have found enough time and the chapter is ready."

Ghost Wolf: "Sorry that was my Girlfriend." He turns to her. "I told you not to do that. I'm going to stop interrupting here."

Quote the Speechless: "I'm done. On with the Story!"

* * *

Legal: Leave me alone, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Seven 

The group managed to get a boat across from the mainland to Wave Country. There was a dense fog around them. It was so dense that they almost didn't see the bridge before it loomed above them out of the fog. The bridge was huge, but only about three-quarters finished. The pilot dropped them off on a short pier close to Tazuna's house.

They were about half the way there when all of Naruto's senses went wild. DANGER, they screamed at him! He whirled around and grabbed Sakura and Tazuna, pulling them down with him.

"EVERYONE DOWN!" Kakashi yelled. He was just in time. A massive blade, more akin to a giant cleaver than a sword, spun through the air above them. It lodged in a tree the lake's shore. By the time they recovered, there was a man standing on the long handle of the blade.

"**Watch, but do not interfere,"** the Kyuubi's voice deep inside Naruto spoke. "**Look at his Aura. That man is both mad and very confident in his abilities. That means that unless the madness has changed into delusion, he is quite powerful if he thinks he can take on your Jounin instructor. So watch, and unless I tell you to, do not interfere.**" So Naruto watched. There was talk for a minute, and as Kakashi prepared for the fight he reached up to reveal his left eye, what Sasuke called the _Sharingan_ (Copy Wheel Eye).

"**I believe that now is a time to activate the second level of the Demon Eyes. Close your eyes. Focus more chakra through the basic chakra molding seal and then fold it back into your eyes. That should be enough to trigger the Second Level."** Naruto brought his hands together in the seal and focused his chakra as Kyuubi directed. When he opened his eyes, Sakura was screaming as Kakashi was chopped in half by a their attacker, who was named Zabuza.

What Naruto saw shocked him a little. The Kakashi that was chopped in half had a small blue aura, as did the attacking Zabuza. **"They aren't real, watch." **The great demon didn't lie. The Kakashi dissolved into water that splashed against the ground. Another Kakashi appeared behind the Zabuza and put a Kunai to his neck. This Kakashi had a more substantial aura of many colors, glowing brightly under his skin. **"He is real. The second Level of the Demon Eyes allows you to see a person's strength and the skills that they use. It will also let you see the movements of Chakra used outside the body. What you saw was a _Mizu Bunshin_. (Water Clone) That was why it had a blue Aura, it was a water Technique."**

"IT'S A FAKE, KAKASHI!" Naruto shouted, but the real Zabuza was already behind him. Kakashi only had time to duck the swing of the sword, and even that wasn't enough. He was flying through the air from Zabuza's kick and landed in the water. Another instant later, Zabuza had Kakashi trapped in a _Suirou no Jutsu_ (Water Prison Technique).

Kakashi yelled at them to get away. Their duty was to protect Tazuna, not fight Zabuza. Zabuza wasn't even waiting for their answers. Using a one handed seal, he channeled Chakra and a Mizu Bunshin formed on the edge of the water closest to the three genin. In an instant the clone was attacking.

Naruto only had an instant to release the seal and bring his arms up to block the kick before it connected. Even with all his weights and training, he was thrown backwards by the kick. In the process, his forehead protector flew off. Naruto landed on his back. His instant reaction was to scramble up.

'He's so strong.' Naruto couldn't think. He inadvertently dropped the chakra flow to his eyes and the red of the Demon Eyes faded to his natural blue.

"**Kid."**

'We don't stand a chance.' The clone was standing on his forehead guard, glaring at Naruto, and Naruto was afraid.

"**Kid!"**

"We've got to run!" Naruto stumbled back, tripped over a rock and fell down. He threw out his hand to break his fall and the bandana caught his eye. He looked away from the clone of the man, finally hearing the voice from inside his head.

"**GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"** Kyuubi barked at him, finally getting his attention. **"That is his Killing Intent. It's strong enough to impact your base instincts to run. But a human can overcome his instincts. Or are you an Animal?"** Kyuubi spat the last word. **"I don't train animals. Now stand up and face him."** Naruto stood up, shaking off the Killing Intent.

"I don't run." Naruto stood up, feeling contempt for himself for falling for something so simple. "And I want that Back." He pointed at the forehead protector.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked. Her voice was full of fear of the man with the giant sword.

"Getting my forehead protector back." A quick series of seals and Naruto swiped a hand over his jacket and another over his pants. Another instant, and he was off. All Sakura could see was a blur of motion right at the clone and the forehead protector.

The clone reacted as Zabuza would, with a kick at his chest, but Naruto wasn't there. Naruto slid under the clone, one hand grabbing the forehead protector as the other sliced up the leg of the clone with a Kunai. The clone couldn't hold form with damage, so even though the cut wasn't fatal, it was enough to make the clone dissolve. Naruto stood up and tied the forehead protector behind his head.

"Here is a name for you to remember," Naruto said, straightening the forehead protector with one hand. "The person who will become the greatest ninja in the entire world." His hand slipped down and pulled off the sunglasses, revealing his piercing blue eyes. "Uzumaki Naruto. Now, let him go."

Sakura watched the blond haired boy. She was sure that he had snapped when he rushed at the clone. But he had won and the clone was nothing more than a puddle of water. There was more to it than just battle prowess, though. Naruto was standing there, putting on his forehead protector, and declaring to the man with the long sword that he was going to be the greatest ninja in the world. She had never seen him look this way. So composed and calm, so sure of himself, but greatest of all, how brave he was. A little blush crept into her cheeks as she looked at him.

Tazuna watched the boy. He had thought little of the boy when he first saw him. But when they had been first attacked he had been poisoned and unflinchingly cut his own hand to release the blood and poison. And here he was now, facing down a strong opponent and not even blinking. The boy made him smile, and feel slightly braver by association. Silently, he cheered for the boy.

Kakashi knew the boy was stubborn, but this was going a bit far. Obviously Naruto did not know who he was dealing with. He had to admit, though, the boy earned his respect when he didn't abandon him.

"Naruto, you don't understand. This man is too strong for you! He is called…" Kakashi spoke from inside the bubble of water, but was cut off by Zabuza.

"AH! So you know about my little nickname," said Zabuza, with what could only be called glee in his voice. He turned to the Genin. Sakura and Sasuke were still guarding Tazuna, while Naruto stood on the edge of the lake. All were watching Zabuza. "By the time I was your age, my hands had already been bathed in blood." Sakura started to tremble in fear, Sasuke's face hardened but he didn't move, and Naruto seemed unfazed by the revelation. "Fourteen years ago, I killed every member of that year's graduating class in Hidden Mist, and I've been unstoppable ever since. That is why I am called The Demon Zabuza!"

Sakura's trembling increased and even Sasuke seemed a bit shaken by the bloody revelation. Tazuna took a step back, disgusted and frightened by the murderer. Kakashi remained silent, not able to look at the man who had trapped him.

Naruto's reaction snapped the others out of their respective imaginations gone wild. He laughed. At first no one was quite sure where the incongruous sound was coming from, but slowly all eyes focused on Naruto.

"A demon?" Naruto laughed even harder. Then, as quickly as it had come, it stopped, and Naruto's voice became deadly serious. "You know NOTHING of demons."

"**Show him, kid. Show him what a mistake he made. Show him a true demon,"** Kyuubi growled. He started to feed his chakra to the boy, red energy started to seep out from his body.

"I'll show you a demon." Naruto spoke softly, but they all heard him. The red demon chakra mingled with his own yellow chakra. The combination looked like an eerie fire burning within him. Everyone could feel the moments passing as his presence became stronger. Only Kakashi noticed, but Zabuza's hand started to shake a little as he watched the blue-eyed boy. Suddenly, Naruto disappeared in a blur of red and yellow. All that remained was a single Kunai that flew fast and hard, straight at Zabuza.

Zabuza managed to catch the Kunai and throw it back into the air just before the exploding note attached to it detonated. But it was too late for him anyway. Naruto appeared in front of him, supported by the force of his power on top of the water, two chakra wings formed in the air behind him, arching high and back.

"_Katon:_ _Ryuuza Hane Hitofuki no Jutsu_ (Fire Type: Dragon Wing Gust Technique)," Naruto spoke as the wings came down. Zabuza pulled his arm out of the watery Orb that held Kakashi prisoner and tried to escape the attack. He managed to dodge the direct attack, even though it had gone off right in front of him, but he didn't escape completely. His right arm was caught in the blast and burning gashes formed all along it. He cried out in pain. Kakashi had managed to dive under the water as soon as the _Suirou no Jutsu_ (Water Prison Technique) was released, and was saved from the attack.

"You Brat," Zabuza snarled, forming a one-handed seal. Six _Mizu Bunshin_ (Water Clones) formed around Naruto, drawing their swords. "DIE!" he yelled as the clones attacked, but Naruto was already forming seals.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ (Shadow Clone Technique)." A dozen Narutos formed into existence on either side of each of the _Mizu Bunshin_ (Water Clones). Each one burned with the fire that Naruto had, their Kunai spinning. Zabuza's clones didn't stand a chance. In an instant they returned to water, but in that moment, Zazuba managed to escape.

Naruto looked around, but couldn't see the man who had dared to call himself a 'demon'. Naruto closed his eyes and let his natural senses go to their un-natural limits. Still, nothing could be found of Zabuza, though there were traces of another presence, someone had been watching the battle.

"**Kid, you're at your limit. Power down right now**," Kyuubi ordered from Naruto's mind. **"You had better come to me. We have things to talk about."**

"Yes Sensei," Naruto whispered. He felt the red chakra drain away, and the strain on his body started to show. His senses returned to normal and his eyes started to droop. The yellow chakra faded away and he could no longer support himself over the water. Naruto blacked out before he hit.

Kakashi swam up from the bottom of the lake and broke through the water's surface. He walked over to Naruto and, after making sure that Zabuza was gone, picked him up and pulled his forehead protector back down over his left eye. He carried Naruto back to land.

Sakura was still too shocked to say anything. What had happened? It was all so fast that she couldn't follow it all. What about all that energy, could that really have come from Naruto? So many questions bombarded her that she didn't know where to start asking them. But the first one that came to her lips when Kakashi stepped onto land was not about what had happened.

"Kakashi Sensei, will he be alright?" she asked, stepping forward to look at the boy in his arms. Kakashi looked at her for a long moment before answering.

"He'll be alright, he's just exhausted after putting out all that Chakra at once." He walked over to them, holding Naruto in his arms as though he were asleep.

Sasuke watched Naruto suspiciously. What had happened? Where did all that power come from? And those Techniques, Chakra wings, and then clones that could fight back? Naruto had never used those techniques before, never even hinted at them, not once. But why hide such strength and such powerful techniques? Now he wanted to know Naruto's Secrets as well, and gain the knowledge of power, so that he could kill his brother.

"Mr. Tazuna, if it would be alright, I would like for us all to find a place to rest. Is it very much further to your house?"

"What?" Tazuna tore his eyes away from Naruto in Kakashi's arms. "No, it's not far, right this way." He walked off flanked by Sakura on one side Sasuke on the other.

When they got to the house, Kakashi was directed to a room by Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, where he could lay Naruto down to rest. When he returned, everyone was looking at him expectantly, except for Tsunami who was cooking dinner.

"Kakashi Sensei," Sakura started hesitantly. "What happened? Was that really Naruto? He seemed so… Different." She shivered a little at the memory of the power that Naruto had given off and how it has scared her.

"I want to know where he got all that power, and those techniques," Sasuke added before looking at Kakashi suspiciously. "Did you teach those to him?"

"I just want to know if he'll be alright," Tazuna said. All eyes turned on Kakashi, waiting for him to answer their questions.

"He'll be alright, it's just chakra exhaustion. It happens to the best of us, even me sometimes. He'll wake up when he's recovered, but I honestly don't know when that will be. As for the techniques, no, I didn't teach those to him and I don't know where he learned them. But yes, that was Naruto, through and through. Anything else and you'll have to ask him. Please be careful, he may not want to answer, and you are not to pressure him." It was at this point that Tsunami's wonderful timing came into action and she called them all to dinner.

Sakura and Sasuke tried to ask Kakashi more questions but he would not answer them. Instead, he told them to go rest because tomorrow they would be doing more training, with or without Naruto.

The next day, when Kakashi came to look in on Naruto at sunrise, all he found was a note saying that Naruto had gone out training on his own and would be back that night or the next day. It worried Kakashi that Naruto would be staying out at night on his own, but after the boy's display the previous day, it didn't worry him too much.

Kakashi woke the other two Genin and told them to eat and meet him out in the forest. Sakura tried to ask him about Naruto but Kakashi was already gone. They each ate a little and ran out into the forest where Kakashi was waiting for them.

"Alright, for training today you will be climbing trees." Sakura had been about to ask him about Naruto but the announcement about what their training would consist of immediately caught her attention.

"Kakashi sensei, how will climbing trees count as training?"

"I'm glad you asked, allow me to show you." He closed his eye and put his hand into the basic chakra molding seal. After a moment, he walked towards one of the trees and right up the side of the trunk as though it was level ground. He continued up the tree and along a branch until he was standing upside down above their heads.

"This training will help you master your chakra control, it will help you learn to gather chakra as you move, and it will increase your chakra reserves. All are important if you are to grow as a ninja," Kakashi unstuck himself from the branch. As he fell, he flipped over so he landed on his feet. "Use your Kunai to mark how high you get each time, and aim to get higher. I will he back tonight to get you for dinner," and with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Damn it," Sakura had been reaching for a kunai when she realized that she had forgotten to ask Kakashi about Naruto. Sasuke already had a kunai in hand when Sakura spoke, and gave her a quizzical look. She sighed and looked over at Sasuke, her crush, and saw him looking at her and blushed. "Do… do you think Naruto will be alright?"

"That idiot," Sasuke snorted. "He'll be up in a day or two and jumping around like usual." He didn't care at all about Naruto. His only interest was to ask him about the power, and see if he could learn how to get that strong himself. "For now we should train, let Kakashi worry about Naruto," and he started to gather chakra into his feet.

"I guess you're right," she sighed. And so they day went for them, training away, running up and down the trees until they could hardly move.

Naruto had left the house very early in the morning, about an hour before sunrise. Kyuubi had told him that they would be going to see an old friend of his. Naruto was a little hesitant about going to see an 'old friend' of a demon like Kyuubi, but he went along with it, listening to the directions that Kyuubi gave him on how to get there. It would require him to use his Demon Form, and Kyuubi told him it would be a good time to learn to control the other demon Senses.

Following Kyuubi's directions, Naruto headedEast until he got to the edge of the island. Luckily, there was a thick mangrove forest where he could hide the stuff that he would not be taking with him. He took off his jacket and shirt, leaving on his fox pendant. He removed his shoes and socks, then his pants, but left his boxers on. He wrapped his other clothing in his jacket and set the bundle in the roots of a tree where no one would find it, and set his shoes on top. All Naruto kept with him were his boxers, equipment pouch, fox pendant, and his forehead protector, which he tied around his left arm.

When he was all done, he moved to where the roots of the mangroves met the ocean and started the transformation. It itched at first, as fur started to prickle up through his skin. The itchiness gave way to pain when his ears started to change. It began was a dull ache but turned into a sharp pain as the ears moved upward to the top of his head. His face changed as well, making him clutch at it with hands that were turning into paws, but stopped halfway there. A tickle started at the back of his head and moved down his neck. It picked up speed and intensity as it moved down his back. When it reached the end of his spine there, was a sharp jab and a tail burst through. There was a moment of uncertainty between the form of a fox and that of a human before the two settled for half-and-half, and the aches and pains stopped.

"So..." Naruto spun around to face the source of the voice, to find Kakashi leaning against a tree some forty feet away. "Are you still Naruto, or are you Kyuubi?" There was no hostility evident in his voice, but from Naruto could see with the Demon Eyes, Kakashi was nervous and had a fair amount of Chakra built up if he needed to fight.

"I'm still Naruto, but Kyuubi has been teaching me. I don't want to fight you, Kakashi," Naruto held up his hands to show he wasn't armed and realized that he had grown sharp claws that could indeed be used as weapons. He quickly lowered his hands.

"Can I trust you? Kyuubi is, or was, a very dangerous demon. You of all people should know this." Kakashi remained next to the tree and watched Naruto with his normal eye, leaving the forehead protector down over his other eye.

Naruto tried to think, tried to find some way to reassure Kakashi that he could be trusted, that he would be back. He found himself looking down at his left arm, where the forehead protector was tied.

"Kakashi, I am a ninja of Leaf. I wear the symbol. I swear to you, so long as I wear the forehead protector of Leaf, I will never betray my fellow ninja." He looked directly at Kakashi as he spoke. Every word enunciated so it could not be mistaken. They locked eyes for a moment, before Kakashi pushed himself off the tree and turned around.

"Try to get back tonight, Tsunami's cooking her famous dumplings, and I'm sure you don't want to miss them," he called over his shoulder, smiling at the Kitsuni.

"Thank you, Kakashi," Naruto bowed before performing a back flip and dove into the water.

"Good Luck, Naruto."

Naruto swam out, headed due west, only his head and the tip of his tail visible above the surface. He swam for many hours, altering his course at times as Kyuubi directed him. After several hours, a heavy mist rose and surrounded him, but he didn't stop swimming. Even when his muscles ached and waves washed over his head, he didn't stop.

"**Here we come, Sister,"** Kyuubi spoke from the depths of Naruto's mind.

* * *

Ghost Wolf is… indisposed at the moment with his Girlfriend. Closing Banter will be conducted by your idol Quote the Speechless. 

Quote the Speechless: "MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Evil Laughter continues for a few minutes. "I have perfected the art of the Cliffhanger! Now you will all have to wait until I want to update the story." More Evil Laughter follows until silenced by flying Text Book. "Ow."


	8. Siblings

Quote the Speechless: "Hello Everyone out there in the Real World. It is I, your God, Quote the Speechless! I have decided to bestow upon you my blessing, ANOTHER CHAPTER!"

Zippo Mage: "All hail Sensei Quote, for his is the word we are addicted to."

Quote the Speechless: "Everyone I would like to introduce the great Zippo Mage. Nonsooth's computer has problems right now, so I am forced to send my chapters to this fellow." He pats Zippo Mage on the head.

Zippo Mage: Smiles like a lapdog. "I am happy to help. All in the name of furthering my addiction"

Quote the Speechless: "Ah yes, the perk of being my editor is that you get to see the chapter before hand. Doesn't that make you all jealous?"

Zippo Mage: Makes faces at the crowd from behind Quote's back.

Quote the Speechless: "Time to bestow the Glory! READ MY MINIONS READ!"

Zippo Mage: Throws his hands up in worship.

Zippo Mage: "Hmmm, mayhap it is time to start the cult of Speechless?"

Quote the Speechless: "Hmm, perhaps, perhaps..." He wonders off, thinking about it.

* * *

Legal: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Eight - Siblings 

Finally something took form in the fog, a small island, no more than a few feet across. At its center there was a small stone pillar, at the top of which there was a small shrine, within the shrine burned four blue flames. Carved on the top was a snake, wrapped around the peak of the shrine, four tails came down to the four corners.

"**This is the shrine of the Four Tailed Demon Serpent, Shibi. We are here so that you may receive her blessing and be acknowledged as my successor. Take a white hair from your tail, place it in the dish between the candles, clap four times and call out her name." **Naruto did as he was told. Taking a white hair from the tip of his tail he dropped it into the dish in between the four blue candles. He clapped four times and called out the name.

"What happens now," Naruto asked? He watched the single hair burn and the smoke drift off into the fog surrounding them.

"**We wait, change back to your human form and rest,"** Kyuubi spoke calmly. **"The call has gone out to her, she will recognize the chakra in the call, but she'll be coming from anywhere in the underwater world of oceans. My advice is to make yourself comfortable while you wait."**

Naruto sat down and started to change back, it happened in almost perfect reverse order from how it started. First the tail disappeared and his ears moved back into position, his face became human and the fur disappeared, until finally he was sitting on the small island in just his boxers. He moved his forehead protector from his arm to his forehead.

He sat down in a meditative position and closed his eyes. He focused chakra to flow around his body, to keep him warm in the cool mist.

Sakura was exhausted. She had pretty good chakra control, and had managed to run quite high on the tree repeatedly. But now she was running low on power, she was lying back against the tree she had been running up, breathing hard and covered in scratches from branches that whipped her as she ran up the trunk. She looked over when she heard a grunt of exertion.

Sasuke had just landed, and was looking up at his latest mark. It was high, a good twenty feet above the last, and he was starting to feel the effects of all the chakra he was putting out, and the strain he was putting on his body. But it wasn't nearly enough to make him stop yet.

Sakura watched in awe as Sasuke started running up the tree again. He was so much stronger than her, braver than her, and cooler than her. She blushed as she watched him continue. But that also sparked off another memory, Naruto. Standing at the edge of the lake facing down a man that scared her so much she couldn't move. Then he showed strength they never knew that he had.

And now as far as she knew he was unconscious in that room, recovering from the strain of battle. She worried about him. Even Kakashi had said that he didn't know if or when Naruto would wake up, he had put a lot of strain on his body. She said to herself that she would check on him as soon as they returned to the house.

It was at this point that Sasuke landed again and spun around, ready for a fight. He lowered the kunai once Kakashi came from around the tree.

"Kakashi," Sakura got up. "How is Naruto?"

"Naruto is fine Sakura, in fact he's out doing an errand right now," Kakashi looked up at the trees, examining the kunai marks for how high they got.

"An errand," Sasuke said disbelieving? "Why isn't he training with us?"

"He is still recovering from the battle," Kakashi lied. Sakura believed him, but Sasuke was skeptical. "When he returns I'm sure he'll be ready for training."

"When will he be back," Sasuke asked suspiciously?

"Uh…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Tonight? Maybe tomorrow? I… uh… don't really know when he'll be back. But he said he would try for tonight."

Both of his students looked at him for a very long moment. Kakashi could not meet the eyes of either of them. That made Sakura worried, but more than a little suspicious, wondering what was really going on and where Naruto could be. Sasuke on the other hand became more suspicious and envious, thinking that Naruto was receiving special training of some kind.

Sasuke frowned and turned back to the tree, gathering Chakra he ran and started to climb as Kakashi had shown them. But when he started to loose his footing and made his slash, the mark was back down where his last was. His emotions made it harder for him to control his chakra and he didn't make any more progress the rest of the day he trained.

Sakura was affected in the same way, though with worry more than anger, but with her limited chakra supply along with emotion conflict she seemed to be doing worse as time passed.

Kakashi watched them, frowning at how they let their emotions get the better of them. But at the same time he was also worried about Naruto. Eventually when the sun was about to set he called an end to their training and said it was time for them to return to the house for dinner.

When they returned to the house there was still no sign from Naruto and their worry started to grow, but for more reasons than just Naruto. By the way Kakashi figured it Zabuza would be fully healed in less than a week and would probably try to make another attempt at Tazuna's life. Kakashi would remain with Tazuna during the day while the two young genin trained.

Furtive glances were made at the open spot left for Naruto, but not comments were made while they ate. Sakura most of all seemed worried about the fate of her teammate. Tazuna saw how worried she looked and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you worry," he said calmly. "He'll be alright. I have seen a will like his once before. He'll be back and stronger than ever."

"Who will," Inari, Tazuna's grandson asked? The little boy had said very little during the meal, but sounded genuinely curious about who they were talking about.

"You'll know him when you see him Inari," Tazuna replied.

Naruto in the mean time was trying to meditate. But it was getting harder with the more and more insistent growling of his stomach. Normally he would have dived down and caught a fish, but Kyuubi had warned him that it was a sacred area and would be very bad for him to kill one of the fish. Nightfall had come and if anything the fog had gotten thicker. There was no wind, no stars, not even shapes could be made out in the end less fog. The only thing he had to look at was the small stone shrine and four blue candles.

He was about to complain to Kyuubi about waiting for so long when a wail emerged from the fog, it sounded like a long drown out cry. Naruto sprang to his feet and looked around, for it was impossible to determine where the sound had come from. The sound became louder slowly, as if the source was approaching.

"**Here she comes,"** Kyuubi said amusement in his voice. **"Tell her to cut out the act and show herself."**

"FOUTH SISTER," Naruto called into the fog. "SHOW YOURSELF! I WILL NOT PLAY YOUR GAMES!" Naruto tried to sound braver than he felt. It shocked him when the sound immediately stopped and a female voice emerged from the fog.

"Only a few beings have ever addressed me that way," the voice had an almost unnatural flow to it, amusement and curiosity evident in her tone. "You do not look like one of them," the voice got closer and Naruto faced the direction, starting to make out a shape in the fog. "But something about you does indeed remind me of one of them. And it was his chakra I sensed in the Call. Who are you boy?"

The figure fully emerged from the fog on the direct opposite side of the shrine from Naruto. She was taller than him, though that was not hard, and oddly enough, human. Naruto corrected himself when she stepped up to the side of the island, but not stepping onto the island its self, instead standing on the surface of the water, she was human looking. Long blue green hair spilled down her back and over her shoulders, covering her breasts, for she was wearing no clothing. Naruto was spared a nosebleed when he closed his eyes very quickly.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto," he said, eyes still closed. "Could you please put some clothes on?"

"Do you not find this form pleasing, human," she asked? She had light bubbling laughter that made Naruto blush. "Alright, I shall agree to your request."

There was another sound that Naruto could never quite explain. When it stopped he opened his eyes slowly. It was an improvement, though admittedly not much of one. What covered her now was what Naruto guessed was seaweed, put together to form some form of covering. As Naruto looked over her once again he noted that her skin was a light blue with patches of green scales. The features of her face were sharp and her eyes were round, much like a fish. Along her forearms, back and back of her legs were series of fins. Her hands and feet were webbed as well.

"**Don't let her fool you,"** Kyuubi said. **"In truth she is a Great Sea Serpent, Sinker of Ships, Creature of Legends, and the Empress of the Oceans. Now do as I told you."**

"Fourth Sister," Naruto addressed her again, using the name that Kyuubi had told him. "As I said, I am Uzumaki Naruto. The Ninth has selected me to be his successor." At this Shibi gave Naruto a long appraising look that made Naruto more than a little disturbed. "I ask that you call The Council of Nine."

"It has been many decades since the Council was last called," she said after a long moment's thought. "Prove to me that you are Ninth Brother, Kyuubi's heir and I will call them."

Naruto nodded, he had been told that she was probably going to ask for proof. He put his hands together and once again started to transform, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, expecting pain. Except that it didn't come, or to a much lesser degree than he expected. He still felt every change that occurred, and the tail still stung a little, but nothing actually hurt that much. When he opened his eyed and looked at the Serpent in human form his red eyes shone in the darkness, the only other source of light coming from the four candles.

Their eyes met and for a long moment neither of them blinked. Finally she nodded and slapped her hands together in front of her, muttering arcane words under her breath. The fog around them started to swirl, eight distortions appeared in a circle around them evenly spaced, she clapped again and the distortions solidified into mirrors made of water. Each mirror showed a different location, but the one thing each of them shared was there was a shrine at each one. The number of candles in each shrine varied, numbering from one, in a featureless desert, to nine, standing on a pedestal surrounded by burning lava.

"The call has been made," Shibi said. "Now we wait for my brothers and sisters to return to their shrines. This may take some time," she sounded apologetic, but she laughed when Naruto's stomach growl was the first response. "You are reminding me more and more of Ninth Brother, it is little wonder you were selected to be his Heir." With a flick of her wrist her fingernails grew long. She knelt down on the water and watched with unblinking eyes. After a moment her hand darted down into the water, there was a little struggle under the surface and she pulled up her hand only to have a fish pierced on the end of her nails. "You may eat this," and she tossed him the fish that he caught easily.

"Fourth sister, what is the meaning of this," a large eagle had landed on the shrine that appeared to be on the top of a mountain. Six candles burned in the shrine, and six long feathers drooped out of the eagle's tail. The voice was shrill, but full of mirth. "Did you call on us to show off your dinner guest?"

"No, Sixth Sister, this is of great importance to us all," Shibi replied to Rokubi, the Six Tailed Eagle Demon of the Mountains.

"I hope that is true," said a voice from the shrine in the forest. Sanbi, the Three Tailed Bear Demon of the Forests Lumbered out from the trees and sat in front of his shrine. "I didn't come here to watch someone stuff their face with grub."

"Did someone mention food," a ponderous low voice asked? They could barely make out the form of Nibi, the Two Tailed Demon Mole of the Caves from the light of the two candles in his shrine.

"Honestly," a prim female voice said as a white tiger walked into view for the shrine surrounded by snow. "Is food all you think about Second Brother?" Gobi, the Five Tailed White Tiger Demon of the Snows said as she sat down, looking at the other occupants of the mirrors.

"Now, now, no fighting," a kind voice said softly from over the seven candle shrine where the twilight stars twinkled and moon shown brightly. Nanabi, the Seven Tailed Bat Demon of the Night, the always kind mediator of arguments between the nine spoke as an elder to children, thought she was among her brothers and sisters.

"Then it seems that we are all here," another spoke from the land where the sun shown down as brightly as a summer day. Hachibi, the Eight Tailed Demon Lizard of the Day settled himself into place, light shining off his white scales as he lay in the brightness.

"All," questioned Sanbi? "I have yet to hear from First Brother, or Ninth Brother."

"You spend too much time in your Forests Third Brother or you would know," admonished Rokubi. "First Brother was captured some years ago, or so my winds tell me. And as for Ninth Brother, the humans claim to have killed him a little over a decade ago," it was at this point that she shifter he gaze away from the Eagle and onto Naruto. "But I doubt that is true, there was never a human or set of humans that could kill down our Strongest Sibling."

Naruto's tail twitched under the scrutiny of the Eagle Demon. His stomach growled and he realized that he still had a fish in his hands. He performed a quick ninjutsu and breathed out, a fox headed ribbon of fire went out of his mouth and wrapped around the fish, cooking it quickly. He then ate it quickly as all eyes of the most powerful set of Demons known to Man watched him. Shibi had slipped under the water for a moment, but when she rose again she was not the woman, but her true form, a long blue sea serpent that wrapped it's self around the small island with its shrine, four tails continuously disturbing the water.

"That is correct Sixth Sister, they could not kill him," Naruto spoke, turning to address them all. "But like First Brother, they have managed to capture him." Naruto went on to explain to them his full story. They sat and listened to him, it was eerie at first for him, to have them all watching him with their individual piercing looks, but he continued. They made various responses though out the story, they were disgusted with his treatment as a boy growing up, amused by the idea of the ninja academy, appreciative of the assistance of his friends and teachers that supported him. All that and more Naruto saw through his Demon Eyes as he looked at them, listening as he told them his life leading up to that point.

"What is it that you wish of us, young one," the whispering voice of Nanabi questioned?

"I have been instructed to come before you and ask to take your tests to receive your blessings to become the full Ninth," Naruto replied, as Kyuubi had instructed him.

"Hmm," Sanbi rubbed his chin thoughtfully with the back of his massive paw. "What you ask is difficult. You may have been granted demon form, but even I can tell that you are human, and no human has ever taken the tests for succession before. With Ichibi still missing along with the fact that you are not a true demon, I am not sure if you actually can pass the tests to become our Ninth Brother." There were mumbled agreements from the other demons present.

"Oh, hush, all of you, look at Ichibi's shrine for a moment," Hachibi spoke, looking Past Naruto and at the Shrine of the First Brother. They all turned to look. A sandstorm had kicked up in the desert, shapes and spirals formed in the winds and the other demons watched in silence. Naruto looked but could not see what they were looking at. For a moment it appeared that a creature was taking shape in the storm. Its exact shape could not be made out but it distinctly looked at Naruto and nodded. "It seems that even though our First Brother could not make it, his sands have answered for him. He acknowledges this human boy and will let him take his test."

"I must say that I am curious to see how this human boy fairs," Gobi spoke, her curiosity evident in her tone. "I second the vote for him to take the tests."

"Humph," Nibi grumbled a little around in his darkness. "I don't see the harm in letting him try. What say the rest of you?" The mole looked around at the rest of his siblings who each nodded in turn until finally he came to Nanabi.

"Child, you are so young," she watched Naruto from her twilight world. "Are you sure this is what you want? Why not think about it some more and come back when you are sure?"

"Brothers, Sisters, I have had little I could ever look forward to. But this chance has presented itself to me, and I will take it. I will pass your tests. I will become the Ninth Brother." Naruto spoke with determination, he had been unsure at first, the task seemed daunting, and the danger quite real. But as he spoke and told his story he realized that it was not what Kyuubi wanted that drove him to this, it was his own desire. Kyuubi had only opened the door to the opportunity.

"Ninth Brother chose well," Nanabi said, pride in her aged voice. "You have that same fire in your soul, I know you will pass them, and I await your time on this Council."

With that each of the Great Demons took an item and started to chant. Nibi took a geode that started to glow in the cavern. Sanbi took a leaf from a tree that glowed green. Shibi took a scale. Gobi chanted over a large snowflake. Rokubi took a feather that spun in the air as she chanted. Nanabi seemed to hold a patch of darkness between her two clawed hands as Hachibi seemed to be holding a small star. Suddenly the chanting stopped and all eyes focused on Naruto, a chakra fire surrounded each of them, they spoke in unison.

"**_By These Seals We Will Watch You During The Next Human Year_**," Each Item that the demons chanted over floated forward and passed through the mirrors. Naruto looked and saw a symbol etched into each of the items. He recognized them as being the sign for each demon. **_"Through Your Action Or InactionOver The Next Year, You Will Pass Or Fail The Tests."_** The items were glowing brightly now, so it was impossible to tell what the original item was. They floated in front of Naruto and started spinning together, and then all of a sudden they flew out and struck Naruto in the stomach, each item striking a different spot around the original seal that bound Kyuubi to him. "Good Luck."

And slowly the mirrors faded and the Great Demon's along with them. Naruto wasn't watching however. He was lying on the ground in front of the small shrine clutching his belly where he had been struck. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach seven times with burning fists. Slowly the pain faded, he slumped against the ground and lost consciousness. His body slowly changed back to his human form. Evenly spaced around the central seal placed on him at his birth there were new seals. A geode, leaf, scale, snowflake, feather, moon and sun, he only one missing from the circle was the mark of the sand demon.

Shibi's tails came out from the water and wrapped around the form of Naruto. He was lifted up and carried through the air as she started to swim, going back the mangrove forest where she dropped off Naruto.

"You will do quite nicely Uzumaki Naruto," she said to herself as she swam back off into the fog. "Don't disappoint us."

Kakashi was helping clean up the meal when he felt it. He put the plates down on the counter and headed for the door. A moment later Sakura and Sasuke had felt it as well and rushed to their teacher's side. A tremendous Chakra could be felt to the west. It was so strong it could be felt miles away, but there was no malevolence in it that could be felt, no killing intent.

"Kakashi Sensei…" Sakura whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

"I know Sakura, we all feel it," he was nervous, such a strong Chakra could not be human. The source of the chakra continued to approach until it stopped some distance away, on the other side of the island. After a moment, it turned and went back the way that it had come until it faded completely from their senses. "Sakura, Sasuke, stay here, I'm going to investigate." He disappeared in a moment and left the two Genin.

"Sasuke," Sakura spoke after a long moment of neither of them moving, just watching where Kakashi had disappeared. "Do… do you think Naruto had something to do with that?"

"No," he replied after a moment. "Nothing in that Chakra felt anything like Naruto's chakra." But both remained suspicious, something was going on, something big, and Naruto was right at the center of it from what they could tell.

Tazuna came out a little while later and looked at the two of them. They appeared to be standing guard, from what he had no idea.

"What is going on," the old man questioned hesitantly?

"We don't know," Sasuke replied. "We felt something. Our teacher went to check out what it was. He should be back soon." There was a long silence while he digested this information.

"Naruto," he questioned? When they didn't reply he sighed and shook his head slowly. "I hope that boy is alright," he said to himself as he went back inside.

Twenty minutes later Kakashi jumped out of a tree and landed on the porch. Sakura rushed over to him, but stopped half way when she saw what he was holding in his arms. Naruto, apparently unconscious yet again, was being carried by Kakashi for the second time into Tazuna's House.

Kakashi took Naruto back to the room he had left that morning and lay him down. Sasuke and Sakura had followed him but said nothing. They watched as he checked Naruto over. He had brought Naruto back dressed only in his boxers. The rest of clothes were in a separate pile.

"I found him like this on the Western Shore, he was lying on the mangrove roots," he obviously knew they were there. As he stood to get a blanket Sakura and Sasuke saw many marks around a central spiral on Naruto's belly. Some of them resembled seals, but others looked like nothing they had seen before. Even as they tried to understand what they were looking at the seals started to disappear. All that remained was the spiral and seven odd looking symbols. It was at this point that Kakashi returned. He paused when he saw that many of the symbols had disappeared, but he started to put the blanket over Naruto none the less.

It was when Kakashi was tucking Naruto in that he started to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He looked blurrily at Kakashi, and then turned his head to the door where Sasuke and Sakura were, it was at that point that he realized where he was and he opened his mouth to speak. Kakashi leaned down to listen. When Naruto was done he sat up and thought for a moment.

"What did he say," a worried Sakura asked? "Is he alright?"

"Oh don't worry about him," Kakashi said cheerfully. "He just wanted to know if there were any of Tsunami's dumplings left, and I'm trying to remember."

"Idiots," Sasuke murmured. And Sakura knew that everything would be fine.

"We saved two for Naruto," Tazuna said from behind the two Genin at the door. "I'll go heat them up for him," and the old man headed to the kitchen.

Naruto tried to sit up and just managed with Kakashi's help. He was quickly regaining his strength. He stretched his arms popping a few joints as he did so, though he didn't seem to mind the sound Sakura flinched at each one. Naruto reached up to scratch the back of his head, he looked down and noticed the new marks on his belly, and he smiled at them and let his other hand brush over them slowly.

"Naruto…" he looked up at Sakura. "What are those? I've never seen them before." He took a moment to think about a suitable answer to her question.

"Mementoes, from my Brothers and Sisters," he replied cryptically.

"I didn't know you had any family, I mean…" Sakura fumbled, feeling she had just put her foot in her mouth.

"It's alright, I just found them today, that's why I was away," he replied, calmly, a far away look in his eyes. "Four sisters," he pointed to the scale, snowflake, feather and moon. "And four brothers," he pointed to geode, leaf, and sun. "I still have to find my last brother," he pointed to the empty spot. "But that is them, and this is me," he put his hand on the large spiral in the middle. He then reached over and started to get dressed, pulling on his shirt and pants, leaving the Fox pendant in the open because they had all seen it.

It was at this point that Tazuna came back with a small plate and two dumplings. He also brought a cup of tea. He handed them to Naruto. "So, did you have an adventure today," He asked as the boy took the plate from his hands.

"Oh yes, did I ever," Naruto started to eat. They waited expectantly, but Naruto only seemed interested in the delicious Dumplings.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell us what happened," Sasuke asked rudely when Naruto reached for the second dumpling.

"Can't," Naruto popped it into his mouth.

"What do you mean," Sakura asked him?

"I can't tell you what happened," Naruto said slowly after he had finished the second dumpling.

"Can't or won't," Sasuke was starting to loose his temper, but Naruto only laughed.

"Both, what happened is between family, so don't ask again," Naruto drank the tea and yawned. "Besides I'm tired, I've gone through a lot today, I'll see you guys in the morning," and with that he lay down, pulling the blanket up to his head.

Sasuke started to object, but Kakashi stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder. They all left, and Naruto fell into a deep sleep, not even Kyuubi interrupted his rest that night.

"Kakashi sensei, what is going on," Sasuke asked as soon as the door was closed to Naruto's room. "Naruto's been acting weird and I think you know why."

Kakashi sighed, he knew that eventually it would come to something like this, thought he had hoped that it would come later. But Naruto's behavior and obvious changes had sped it up greatly.

"Nothing is simple or easy when it comes to Naruto. I honestly have no idea what happened today. But I can't force Naruto to tell anything he doesn't want to. You'll have to ask him, and accept what answers he gives until he's ready," Kakashi lectured, but he could see that Sasuke was not satisfied at all. "Look, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Naruto had a very hard childhood. He's lived in an orphanage most of his life, never known any family or kindness."

Sakura had heard that Naruto didn't have parents, but the rest of what Kakashi told her was new.

"But Wait," a thought occurred to her. "What about his 'brothers and sisters' aren't they his family?"

"I have no proof, and no actual idea who they are," Kakashi said slowly. "But if there are actually eight of them, and Naruto is the Ninth, then… well, let's just be happy that we only have Zabuza to face, and not one of them," Kakashi yawed theatrically. "I've probably said too much. Anyway, I'm going to take a leaf from Naruto's book and head to bed." He turned and headed down the hall to where his room was. "Don't think too much about what I said, just go to bed, get all the rest you can, there's going to be more training tomorrow."

Reluctantly Sasuke and Sakura went off to their guest rooms; each wondering different things about the same person.

Sasuke wondered about what happened during the day, the strange marks on Naruto as well as his 'brothers and sisters.' Kakashi seemed to think they were stronger than Zabuza, and he was glad not to be facing them. Could they really be so strong as to scare their teacher? And if so, then what did that make Naruto? The questions seemed to be forever mounting wherever Naruto was concerned.

Sakura seemed to be worried more about Naruto's past than about what happened during the day. She had only known that he grew up with no parents, the fact that he came from an orphanage changed things. She had heard how children were treated in such facilities, and it became clear to her why Naruto didn't speak of his past. She didn't expect Naruto to answer many questions, so she vowed to herself that she would find out about his past, it may help explain his behavior now.

Kakashi on the other hand had giggled himself to sleep reading one of his novels.

* * *

Quote the Speechless: He laughs manically. "I'll be none of you were expecting THAT!" 

Zippo Mage: O.O "Dude..."

Quote the Speechless: Basks in the glory. "Yes, I am a Great Creative Genius."

Zippo Mage: "Riiiight. Maybe I shouldn't have been so fanatical about all of this before..." Looks sidelong at Quote.

Quote the Speechless: "Well then, maybe I should find another editor." Looks out at the Audience. "Anyone interested?"

Zippo Mage: "But...But..."

Quote the Speechless: He laughs more and walks off stage.


	9. Revelations

Ghost Wolf: You've been challenged.

Quote the Speechless: Yes, I have and I must rise tothis challenge.

Ghost Wolf: So what is Kyuubi's gender?

Quote the Speechless: The gender of an Elemental/Great Spirit? Whatever the hell it wants!

Ghost Wolf: Well A-Man thinks Kyuubi is a female, what do you say to that?

Quote the Speechless: I say Prove it.

Ghost Wolf: How long does he have to do this?

Quote the Speechless: He has till the next update, so that means something like two to four weeks, I'll try and get the next chapter up in three weeks.

Ghost Wolf: Okay but I don't think it'll happen.

Quote the Speechless: I can so get the chapter up in three weeks.

Ghost Wolf: I was also referring to the challenge... I don't think he'll find any proof or that you will up date on time.

Quote the Speechless: Alright, but don't you think there should be terms?

Ghost Wolf: The proof has to be from an official website... no random fansite B.S. and no stories from other authors.

Quote the Speechless: Yes, that sounds agreeable. But I alsothat the information has to be verified.

Ghost Wolf: okay and now on to the chapter!

Quote the Speechless: Agreed, It is about time that you people see this wonderful piece of creation.

Ghost Wolf: yeah... "Wonderful"

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Nine - Revelations

The next day all three of the Genin went out into the forest. No one spoke about what happened. Sasuke tried, but Sakura managed to stop him. Sakura explained to Naruto why they were climbing the trees the other day.

"Oh man," Naruto complained. When Sakura looked at him oddly, Naruto explained. "My control sucks. I'm alright with my hands, and inside my body, but if I have to work with my feet, this is going to really suck," Naruto grumbled. Unfortunately this revelation made Sasuke smugger, and he laughed when Naruto fell his first few times.

After about half an hour of Naruto expending a lot of chakra and getting nowhere, he walked over to Sakura who was resting.

"Hey, uh, can you give me a tip?" Naruto asked. He sounded a little nervous, but Sakura was overjoyed that Naruto came to her when he was having trouble. She started by giving Naruto the basic lecture of Chakra and what it was – the strength of the body mixed with the power of the mind. Then she talked about chakra paths and how one could mold it for a jutsu. Finally, she gave him advice for clearing the mind and directing the flow of chakra. Naruto paid closer attention to her lessons than he ever did when Iruka was lecturing.

Naruto didn't say anything for a long time. He sat and digested all the new information. His mind wandered back to his experiences with Kibou and Keito, and what they taught him about controlling his chakra.

"Damn," he said as he brought himself out of his memories. "That exercises again." He got into a position and brought his hands together. He didn't focus chakra into any specific part of his body but instead let it flow all around inside him. Though Sasuke and Sakura could not see it, they could feel some change in Naruto.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked. Both of his teammates were watching Naruto.

"Flow exercises," Naruto said. Three right-legged kicks – low, middle, and high – flowed into a set of sweeping left-legged kicks. "I have an abnormally high amount of Chakra, but the downside is that my control is terrible. I overuse chakra, and it's hard for me to direct it fully into one thing. I've looked up dozens of exercises for control, but I've never seen the tree walking one before." Naruto went into a series of alternating sweeping kicks aimed as high as he could kick.

"So? Why aren't you climbing?" Sasuke wondered for a moment if everything required such a trade off, but only for a moment. He preferred to think of Naruto as an idiot who didn't know how to use what he had.

"In a moment," Naruto continued his kicking exercises. "Right now I'm doing this to get used to focusing chakra into my feet." He continued for a few more moments before a final back flip, landing with his feet together. "Ok, I'm ready now," he ran directly at a tree.

Naruto started to go up the tree. Sasuke and Sakura watched carefully and they could see how much Naruto struggled with his control. Every couple steps, one of his feet would slip a little before it stuck to the bark, or the tree would crack a little under the force. He managed to climb twenty feet up before his foot slipped and he started to fall. He made a scratch on the tree with his kunai and flipped back down, landing on the ground on all fours. Naruto looked at his progress up the tree and sighed.

"This is going to be a long day," he sighed. Naruto stood up and ran at a new tree, not wanting to do more damage to the one he had just fallen out of.

And so the day progressed. Sasuke and Sakura continued to use the same two trees while Naruto never used a tree more then twice for fear of damaging it too critically.

Sasuke asked him why he didn't just keep using the same tree until it was impossible to run on any more. Naruto just responded by saying that he didn't want to anger his Third Brother. He never used their actual names, which pissed Sasuke off because it didn't give him any idea about who they were.

After a while, Naruto had used most of the trees in the area. While he had improved and could get most of the way up each tree, he was still slipping on or cracking the bark.

"I'll find a new area, you two stay here for when Kakashi comes back," Naruto said when he had exhausted the trees he could use. "I'll go that way until I find another stand of trees that's good." Naruto pointed in a direction and headed off.

Sakura was almost in awe of the boy. The amount of chakra that he had used was easily three or four times what she had on the best days. He didn't seem any more than winded. Sasuke was using a fraction of the chakra that Naruto was as he was getting better at his control, but he looked about the same condition. They could only watch as Naruto headed off to a new area and continue his training.

"'Abnormally high amount of Chakra my ass," Sasuke said as soon as Naruto was out of sight. "It's got to be a trick of some kind. There's no way he can have that much chakra." Sasuke was not pleased. Naruto's tremendous amount of energy along with his steady progress up the trees meant that soon he would be able to outstrip them all.

"But Sasuke," Sakura pleaded. She liked Sasuke a lot, and she didn't want her teammate upset at Naruto. "Why don't you believe him? You've seen how bad his control is. Yes he has a lot of chakra, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. I don't understand why you're so upset."

"Because he has so much power, and he acts like it's nothing," Sasuke said angrily. "Power should be used, instead he throws it away." Sasuke turned and punched a tree.

"Please Sasuke, give him a chance," Sakura asked him. "He's still young, we all are," she sighed deeply as that revelation hit her as well. "We're still growing up. Give him a chance, please. Remember what Kakashi said, we're supposed to be a team, we can't be a team if you're going to fight about Naruto."

"Well we're not supposed to hide things about each other either." Sakura could not reply to that. "I'm going to make him tell us something when he gets back. For now, I'm going to keep training like Kakashi told us to." Sasuke started training, and with some reluctance so did Sakura. She was glad that he was leaving Naruto alone for the moment, but things were getting more complicated.

Naruto, on the other hand, was sitting in the middle of a field of flowers he had found. Meditation did not come easy to the boy, but he had to admit that it did help his control.

"The unity of Mind and Body will produce better control than any training," Keito had told him when she first instructed him on meditation. "You don't have to train nearly as much as most people do to increase your chakra. So the best thing you can do is work on control. Through meditation and flow exercises with the Element styles you will be able to increase your control greatly. It will take time, longer than most because of your ever-changing chakra, but in the end it will be a greater payoff."

And so Naruto was meditating, taking all of his power and trying to mold it into something inside his mind. To him it took the form of a roaring fire that he was trying to put into a white hot ember. It had taken him a week of work with Keito, Kibou and Kyuubi all together for him to finally pull it off, and even now it was not as easy.

Since Naruto had gotten the bowl of Kyuubi's essence, his control had improved over the demon half of his chakra, but the overall amount of chakra he had was larger as well, so he practically ended up back where he was before.

"**It is time for me to train you some more, kid,"** Kyuubi spoke up suddenly, breaking Naruto's concentration. **"Especially if you want to be able to pass my siblings' tests."**

"What do you want me to do?"

"**It's actually not that hard,"** Kyuubi said in that tone that Naruto always associated with trouble. **"You're going to transform and go through the stances for the Element styles, ALL of the stances. You will also have everything weighted, four steps higher than previously. Along with all your senses, human and demon, reaching out to your full extent." **Naruto could only groan as the list got longer. **"Make that Five steps, now get to work."**

Naruto transformed, finding it easier than the last time, though the tail always stung. He closed his eyes and performed the jutsu, increasing the weight of his clothes as Kyuubi had instructed. Next, he closed his eyes and let his senses expand to their fullest extent. When Naruto opened his eyes, he was slightly startled when he could feel two beings he thought were Sakura and Sasuke on the edges of his spirit awareness. Apparently, they had returned to training. He also felt the spirits of every animal and plant within a one mile radius of his position. It was quite distracting as he started to go through the positions and had to manage his chakra flow at the same time.

At first, Naruto messed up a lot, with all the distractions, but on his sixth try he finally managed to get through all the stances. Then Kyuubi scolded him for not molding his chakra as he had been trained, and set Naruto to do it again. Naruto ended up doing the exercises for hours on end.

The Sun was getting low on the horizon when Naruto felt another presence on the edge of his Spirit Sense. He paused part of the way through a series of punches and blocks to see if he could get a better feeling of who it was. The new person approached the ones he thought of as Sasuke and Sakura. There was a brief exchange and the two started walking away as the third started in Naruto's direction. It was time to end the training. Naruto transformed back his human form and started walking towards the new person.

Kakashi was getting worried. Sakura's and Sasuke's attitudes when he mentioned Naruto had indicated to him that something had happened. Kakashi sighed, this teaching assignment was harder than any mission he had ever been on and he doubted it would be over any time soon. He ran into Naruto walking his way. It only mildly surprised him to realize that the boy had already known that Kakashi was coming to get him. They walked back together. Neither said anything for a long moment.

"You have to tell them _something_," Kakashi said, breaking the silence.

"Like what?" Naruto responded. "I'm part demon? I'm the container for the strongest demon in a century who's been teaching me Jutsu? OH! Wait, no I've got a great one. I'll tell them all about my Brothers and Sisters!" Naruto looked sidelong at Kakashi. "You must have already guessed about them." Kakashinodded.

"I understand that this is not easy, but they are your teammates," Kakashi said. "Tell them something. They're starting to loose trust in you, Naruto. You need them as much as they need you right now. Just give them something to think about for now. At least something to hold us over until we can get back to Konoha and speak to the Hokage." Naruto sighed, Kakashi was right.

The rest of the walk was made in relative silence. Relative silence because Naruto was thinking about what to tell them while Kakashi was reading one of his novels and giggling every once and a while. Naruto didn't know what to tell his teammates. He wondered if he should make something up, like an unknown bloodline or something. In the end, he was glad for the rigorous training session that Kyuubi had put him through that day because it gave him an excuse to head straight to the table and slump down, resting his head on his hands.

"How was your training today?" Tsunami asked as she started to serve the food. Her son Inari was watching Naruto, scowling.

"Good," Sakura said pumping an arm. "I'm feeling a lot stronger, and Sasuke is incredible as always." She blushed as she looked at her Crush who didn't do more than reach for the food.

"What about you, Naruto?" Tazuna asked. "Think you can take on that Demon guy again?"

"Oh yea, and I won't miss next time," Naruto grinned at the thought.

"Why do you bother?" Inari spoke up. "No matter how hard you try you're no match for Gatou's men." Something broke in him and he started to cry. Inari stood up and pounded his hand against the table. "No matter what you say or do they'll always be stronger than you! If you fight them again you'll just die!"

"I'm not like you kid," Naruto said dismissively.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU," The outburst startled everyone, but Inari didn't care as he continued to yell at Naruto. "You don't know anything about us! YOU DON"T KNOW HOW HARD LIFE CAN BE!"

The entire room seemed to drop several degrees after Inari's outburst. Naruto looked up from the table directly at the boy. No one spoke, all eyes were focused on Naruto. Kakashi knew he should step in and attempt to defuse the situation, but he didn't do anything, ust watching to see what Naruto would do. Sasuke was even intimidated by his teammate. Sakura watched, shaking, as Naruto's eyes slowly started to change. The blue eyes that so reminded her of the sky on a clear day now only reflected a coldness that was bitterer than any winter she had experienced.

"Don't you Dare speak to me about how hard life can be," Naruto's voice was soft, but everyone heard him, and felt the steel in his tone. "I've been alone forEleven years. NO family, no friends, only ME." They could only watch in fascinated horror as Naruto's eyes changed again, but this time it was nothing like a moment ago. The iris slowly started to shift until his eyes were a blood red, and the look was no longer cold, but one of burning fury. "I was not only alone, but HATED by just about every person I ever met." The fury was evident in his voice, but he held it in check if just barely.

"NEVER given a chance to prove myself. NEVER shown anything but hate and Contempt. And you DARE to speak to ME about having a hard life!" Inari was rooted to the spot. If he could have, he would have run. "Spendallyour life being blamed for something that you had nothing to do with and could have done nothing about. THEN we can talk about living a hard life."

"Naruto," Kakashi finally found his voice. "That's enough." Naruto glared at Kakashi for a moment before looking away. When he looked back, his eyes had reverted to blue and the intense feeling that he had been giving off had faded just a little.

Naruto glanced back at Inari before stalking out of the room. Sakura started to get up and go after him but Tazuna stopped her. He shook his head and Sakura slowly sat back down. Tsunami was comforting a still shaking Inari. She didn't know how to feel. Naruto's outburst had shaken even her. She didn't know whether to feel more sorry for Naruto, who had lived such a hard life, or Inari who had taken the full force of the red-eyed fury.

"Is it true?" Tsunami asked, looking directly at Kakashi.

The Jounin sighed and looked down. "Every word." No one felt like eating any more. The revelation seemed to put Naruto in a whole new light. "He hasspent his life all alone." He wondered idly why Naruto had saideleven years.Had the boyfound someonetwo years ago who he could trust?

Sakura could not believe that Naruto had all that anger bottled up inside of him. Even when Kakashi had told them Naruto had led a hard life, she had never guessed the truth was so extrene.

Sasuke wondered what Naruto had been talking about, what could the people have blamed him for, but he found he was no longer angry or upset. If anything he felt empathy for Naruto for both their lives were far from easy.

"He's stronger than I ever gave him credit for," Tazuna said after a few minutes. The others could only nod in agreement.

After they cleaned up the uneaten meal, Sakura and Sasuke went out to find Naruto – they had a lot to talk about. They eventually found him lying on the roof, watching the stars. Naruto didn't say anything as they took up positions on either side of him. Sakura was on his right, hugging her knees against her chest as she looked up at the stars. Sasuke sat on the peak of the roof and leaned back against the chimney.

"Sorry," Naruto was the one to break the silence. "I guess you two deserve to know what's going on."

"No." What startled them was that that it was Sasuke who spoke up. "We shouldn't be pressuring you. Just tell us when you're ready." Naruto looked over at Sakura to see how she felt and she smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks guys," Naruto lay back and closed his eyes, feeling more comfortable than he had in days. Naruto lifted his right hand into the air, making a fist, he looked at Sasuke and Sakura. "Team Seven?"

Sakura and Sasuke reached over and, making fists as well, rested them against Naruto's.

"Team Seven," they chorused. And they knew that they had overcome a great hurdle and became a closer team because of it. Kakashi smiled as he watched them from the branches of a tree. They truly had the potential to become great on their own, but together, it wasn't potential, it was fact. It was good that they had overcome their differences because tomorrow they would all be needed to protect Tazuna. By his estimates, Zabuza would be healed enough to return, and Kakashi doubted that he would come alone.

Kakashi returned to inside the house and reassured Tazuna and Tsunami that everything would be alright. At the same time, the three genin sat on the roof and talked about nothing in particular. When they came back inside, Kakashi told them the plan and they all agreed it was time. Naruto finally felt the full fatigue of his training as he almost collapsed into the bed. Kakashi looked at him and saw that he was exhausted. He explained to Sakura and Sasuke that Naruto had been drained and would require and extra day to recover. Though in truth he was not sure how long it would take to restore such a massive reservoir of chakra. They agreed, saying that they had seen how he had seemed very tired while they talked.

The next day, Sakura and Sasuke headed off to the bridge with Kakashi and Tazuna. Naruto was left sleeping while Tsunami looked after Inari.

Naruto didn't wake up until a scream, Tsunami's scream, pierced the air. He jumped out of bed and didn't even pause to get dressed before running downstairs. He was greeted with the sight of Inari running at two large men with swords. The men reached for their swords, only to find their swords halt part way through drawing them. Two clones of Naruto had appeared and were blocking the handles of their swords, leaving them unable to attack the boy as he screamed for them to leave his mother alone.

"Only cowards attack the weak!" was the last thing that the two men heard before the real Naruto spun down through the air and kicked each of them in the head, knocking them out.

"Good Job, Inari," Naruto said as his clones dragged the swordsmen away and tied them up. "You see that true strength comes from the desire to protect others, and prove yourself." Inari nodded, finally understanding how Naruto had become so strong. "Right, now I've got to go. I'm betting that my friends are under attack as well." Naruto rushed up to his room, putting on his clothes and not putting the weight Jutsu, he needed all the speed he could get.

On the way, he activated his Demon Eyes, levels one and two, and his Spirit senses. As he got closer to the bridge, he sensed that a fight had already started. Kakashi was facing off with Zabuza, while Sasuke fought with a new individual. Sakura was still guarding Tazuna. Naruto arrived in time to see the new person activating an unknown seal and ice starting to form around Sasuke in the shape of many ice mirrors. They reminded him of the mirrors that Shibi had made to arrange the Council of Demons, though these mirrors appeared to made of ice, instead of water.

"You shouldn't underestimate us, Zabuza," Kakashi said as Naruto slowly walked out of the fog that Zabuza had summoned with his Jutsu. "Sasuke was the number one rookie student of his class, Sakura is the brightest and has the best control, and Naruto, well, you remember Naruto."

Haku, the nin who was assisting Zabuza, stepped into the mirrors as Naruto approached. Naruto slowly walked around the mirrors, inspecting them, apparently unconcerned with the masked ninja who had created them. Naruto could not tell whether the person was male or female and the voice was equally androgynous. Naruto guessed that it was a girl by her Aura, but he wasn't sure.

"I have a sister that can do something like this," Naruto said as Kyuubi started feeding him information on things that might be helpful in this situation.

"Impossible," the masked ninja told Naruto. "This is my Bloodline Limit, the Manipulation of Ice. I am the last of my clan. Your sister can't possibly do this." But Naruto could see that she was curious from the aura that she was giving off.

"HAKU!" Zabuza yelled. "Get serious, finish them, and don't underestimate the short one."

"Just a moment, if I may," Naruto said, looking at Sasuke. "I would like to speak with my teammate before you fight."

"Make your final words short," Haku said, letting Naruto in past her mirrors.

"I doubt they will be our final words, but have it your way." Naruto walked up to Sasuke, lowering his voice so they could speak. "Think you can take her?" Sasuke studied Naruto for a moment before responding, he didn't think Naruto would be able to make it.

"If I could activate my Sharingan then this would be easier," Sasuke said, trusting that Naruto had a plan. "But because this… person has a bloodline limit it may not be easy even if I could." Sasuke obviously believed it was a guy, but even he hesitated very slightly before using the pronoun.

"Alright," Naruto held out his hand to Sasuke and Sasuke took it, they looked into each others eyes. "Focus chakra into your eyes, but that will only get you halfway there. You must also want to SEE how to fight her. Don't ask how I know, just trust me. Just one more thing," Naruto tightened his grip on Sasuke's hand and his eyes widened as he guessed what Naruto was about to do. "You're sitting this one out." Naruto spun, still holding Sasuke's hand. He lifted the other boy off his feet and before even Haku could respond, he had thrown Sasuke out between gaps in the mirrors.

"Why did you do that?" Haku asked Naruto. "You have only allowed him to live a little longer than you." With that, she began her attack. Using senbon needle, Haku attacked Naruto, moving at such speed that along with the other reflections of her it was nearly impossible to tell where she was attacking from. After the first wave of attacks, Naruto was left in the middle of the area, several needles sticking through his jacket that had saved him from slashing attacks. But there were cuts along his face and from the placement of the needles he was having a hard time moving.

"I did it," Naruto said as he guarded against an attack with a kunai in his left hand while he reached around to pull out needles from his shoulder, legs, and other places that he could reach easily. "Because he's the last of his clan." Naruto straightened up, his wounds already healing to some degree. "And because I can last a lot longer than you can," Naruto turned to look at the mirror that held the real Haku. The first level of the demon eyes showed where the true attacker was, while at the same time revealing that the news that Naruto could outlast her had confused and worried her. The second level of the Demon Eyes revealed that Haku's chakra was being drained to keep the mirrors up, and from Naruto's and Kyuubi's estimates, she could only keep it up for a few minutes.

Sasuke couldn't believe what Naruto had done. Before last night they had almost been enemies. But Naruto had just put himself in Sasuke's place, right in the middle of an enemy's attack. He had to trust that Naruto knew what he was doing. Sasuke formed the Tiger seal and started to focus chakra into his eyes. He didn't know if Naruto could actually withstand the attacks long enough for him to activate his eyes.

Haku was attacking continuously now, piercing Senbon through Naruto's jacket. Because of the metal mesh between the layers, a slashing strike from the light needles would only do light impact damage. That meant that the masked nin was forced to rely on piercing attacks, which are harder to achieve on a moving target. Naruto was doing anything but staying still. Haku could no longer try and throw her needles to hit Naruto, instead she started to launch herself out of her mirrors, using the reflections to increase her speed greatly. Then she could stab the needles into Naruto instead of throwing them. Her attacks were fast and relentless, aiming for Naruto's vital spots.

It was only Naruto's incredible healing that kept him from succumbing to the attacks. When he realized that the girl was moving too fast for him to block her attacks, he dropped the kunai and focused solely on pulling the needles out of his body. The bloody weapons littered the ground around Naruto.

Sasuke was getting more desperate. Even he could see that the attacks were starting to wear down Naruto. The outer layer of his orange jacket was in tatters, revealing a layer of metal mesh that had the senbon stuck through it. His pants were in the same condition. He was trying to see how the boy attacked, but it still wasn't enough.

"Why do you fight?" Naruto asked as he pulled needles out of his back and sides. "You don't want to kill me, I can see that." The attacks stopped suddenly. "You could be doing so much more." Naruto continued to pull the senbon from his body until he was able to fall to his knees. The continuous need for healing was draining his available reserves, but he had not yet tapped into Kyuubi's chakra. That would be his ace if he needed it.

"I am the weapon of Zabuza," Haku said. "That is what ninja with advanced bloodlines were for, to be used as the weapons of shinobi nations." The masked nin started to flash from one mirror to another, picking up the senbon that Naruto had pulled from his body, preparing for a final attack. "I was not lying when I said that I did not want to kill you, in truth, I am too kind to be a shinobi. But for Zabuza, I can kill my heart, and take your life." Haku had finished retrieving the needles and was ready to attack.

Sasuke was starting to see it, the motions and speed of the boy. He was starting to be able to see and sense how he moved. It was then that he realized that Haku was preparing a final attack. Naruto was too drained. He wouldn't be able to move in time, even to lesson the blow. Sasuke started to run. He only had a moment before Naruto got it. Only a moment before the only person he had ever met who could relate to him got struck down. He HAD to make it.

Naruto closed his eyes, and brought his arms up in an attempt to block the attack. He tried to channel Kyuubi's chakra but he couldn't do it in time. He only hoped that the attack wouldn't be fatal, to give him a chance to heal. But when the attack didn't land, Naruto opened his eyes, wondering why the girl hadn't finished him off. What he saw was worse than he could have imagined. Sasuke was standing in front of him, senbon needles stuck all over his body. Haku was laying on the ground several feet away, laid out from the single punch Sasuke had managed to land. Sasuke's two-tier Sharingan faltered and faded as he fell back into Naruto's arms.

"Why?" Naruto asked, as he lay his teammate down. Sasuke didn't have Naruto's healing ability, so he couldn't safely remove the senbon. "I didn't ask you to save me."

"I don't know," Sasuke coughed up blood along with his response. "My body just moved on its own." Sasuke closed his eyes and his head fell to the side. Though Naruto didn't know it, Sasuke had managed to move in such a manner that none of the needles struck vital organs or blood vessels, and he had only passed out because of the sudden intense pain and effort in activating his own Bloodline Limit. To all appearances, Sasuke was dead.

"He struck me down with one final blow," Haku said with admiration as she started to get up. "He died to protect you. You must have been a precious person to him. I am sorry you had to see him die. But do not worry, you will join him soon." The masked nin turned in preparation to attack Naruto again. What she saw startled her greatly. Red chakra was burning around Naruto. It started ripping up the stone of the bridge, spiraling out from Naruto.

The grief of Sasuke's apparent death drove Naruto to the edge. To his great surprise, though, he felt more in control of his power than he ever had before. Apparently, absorbing the essence of the Great Demon Fox meant that he could remain in control of himself rather than succumb to the rage that he normally associated with releasing Kyuubi's chakra. His feelings focused like a laser and his control rose exponentially. Naruto started the hand seals.

"_Katon:_ _Ryuuza Hane Hitofuki no Jutsu_ (Fire Type: Dragon Wing Gust Technique)" the great wings formed on Naruto's back and as he flapped them, massive waves of intense heat hit the mirrors. Because of Haku's attempts to hold back the force of Naruto's chakra and sustain the mirrors, along with the fact that she had been using her Bloodline Limit for an extended period of time, the mirrors Naruto aimed at started to shatter and melt. One by one, the mirrors disappeared and the water evaporated so they could not be reformed.

"One Technique destroyed all my mirrors?" Haku was in shock. "Who are you?" She was afraid. No one, not even Zabuza, could break her mirrors, but this boy had done it with ease. She was left in the last mirror, facing Naruto as he walked towards her.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto," he said calmly. The wings slowly faded away, but the intense aura of his chakra did not diminish. "And You are very lucky." Naruto's new focus and control allowed him to activate all his demon senses without any outward appearances. Because of that, he could tell that Sasuke's aura, while diminished, had not disappeared. "He's still alive, and you won't die." Haku was spending all her chakra just to keep the mirror she was in from shattering and even now there were small cracks forming at the edges.

"Why? I meant to kill you. And him," Haku was forced out of her mirror. She fell back out of it just before it shattered. "You should kill me, that is the shinobi way," she stood up, reaching up to the mask and taking it off.

"That may be," Naruto said. Around them the fog started to fade. "But it is not my way. Kakashi will finish his battle with Zabuza, and then your fate will be decided, but you will not die."

"Zabuza," Haku said, turning to face where the other battle was taking place. Zabuza was being held in place by several dogs that appeared to have come from under the surface. Kakashi looked like he had a lightning bolt in his right hand, radiating sparks and energy around him as he prepared his final attack. "NO," Haku tried to run, tried to get between her teacher and the deadly attack, but she could not – Naruto had a vice-like grip on her arm. She struggled, but Naruto held her. "Let me go, I Must Save Him!"

"No, his time is at an end," Naruto spoke with an odd calm. "But there are others." Naruto spoke of the hundred or so spirits that he could sense beyond the falling fog. When he looked at the aura that they gave off, he saw it was malicious with not a small number of insane members. There was the sound of thousands of birds and sickening sound of blood being spilt and a body falling to the ground. Naruto knew it was too late for Zabuza when his aura faded as the spirit slowly fled his body. Finally, he released the girl's hand.

Haku ran to Zabuza and lifting his head, she cradled it in her lap.

"I am sorry, sir," she said, tears in her eyes. "Your weapon has failed you. I… failed you."

"No," Zabuza whispered through the bandages on his face. "Live free, be your own weapon, live your own life." With his last strength, he dragged the handle of his massive sword over towards Haku until she finally took it from his hands. "Take my sword… Find the next… Sword Man." Those were the last words of The Demon Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist.

Naruto, meanwhile, was kneeling over Sasuke, taking out the needles from his body. When she saw that Kakashi was done and the battles were over, Sakura rushed to where she had last seen Sasuke. Tazuna followed her because he still wasn't sure and she was a better guard than nothing. What they saw startled them. Naruto, with clothes torn from the fight, was leaning over a needle-pricked Sasuke.

"He's alright, just unconscious," Naruto said in response to their presence. Sakura didn't ask how he knew they were there. She walked over and knelt down, taking a roll of bandages from her pouch. She had better first aid training, so Naruto got up and took off his jacket. He folded it up and put it under Sasuke's head as he started to wake up.

"You just rest, Sasuke," he told his wounded friend. Sasuke nodded and drifted off again, secure in the knowledge that he would recover.

A male voice cackled with laughter. Everyone's attention turned and focused on the group that Naruto had sensed earlier. The group was full of samurai, missing nin, and other bandits, all of them armed with a wide assortment of weapons.

"I see that Zabuza failed me," the man said. He was dressed in a black suit with a cast around his left arm. "It doesn't matter. I was going to kill him anyway. Hiring a ninja from a village is very expensive. It is much easier to hire Missing nin like him. And clean up the mess with my little army here." He walked over to where Haku was still cradling Zabuza's head. "You're the girl, you broke my arm last time I saw you." He brought up his cane to hit her, but was stopped before he could bring it down. He turned to see that Naruto was behind him, holding the end of the cane. In one motion Naruto had pulled the cane from his hand and thrown it off the side of the bridge.

"Oops," Naruto smiled and stepped around the man kneeling down by Haku's side. "Come on," but Gatou wasn't finished.

"I don't care what you have to do," he yelled at the missing nin behind him. "Kill them all and bring me their heads." He hobbled off but didn't get far.

The missing nin saw him stop and a slow look of shock spread over his face before he started to fall. Two senbon needles stuck into the back of his head. The Missing nin didn't take that very well and all started to charge, angry at the fact that the one that was supposed to pay them had been killed. They didn't get far before they encountered a dozen Naruto clones, each in a different fighting position. The nin were about to attack when armed villagers appeared out of the remnants of the fog, ready for a fight. Kakashi felt that it was almost enough, but he was there to tip the balance. A swift jutsu later and there were dozens of Kakashi clones looking ready to fight. It was too much for the missing nin to take and they turned and ran.

In the end Sakura helped Sasuke walk back to Tazuna's house. Naruto lead Haku back. Haku carried Zabuza's massive sword as the villagers, under the orders of Tazuna, carried the body of Zabuza back to be buried.

* * *

Quote the Speechless: Alright, maybe one more challenge, but this one goes to a vote. 

Ghost Wolf: What now?

Quote the Speechless: What is Haku's Gender? I am completely ambivalent about this. Haku could be either male or female, as of right now in the writing process it will have no bearing on how he/she acts.

Ghost Wolf: Then why do this?

Quote the Speechless: Because i want my readers to feel like the matter... I mean I want them to have some part in the creation of this story.

Ghost Wolf: Fine... majority rule on Haku's gender. It is getting late. We both need sleep. People who review place your vote. Good night all

Quote the Speechless: Goodnight, and don't be afraid of sleep.

Ghost Wolf: Sleep!


	10. Returning Home

Quote the Speechless: "Well, I think it's been long enough. Do you all think it's been long enough?" He looks out across the angry masses of people. "Yea, I'm guessing you think it's been long enough."

"You should all know the reason that you have waited for my story." Grabs a rope and pulls. A curtain falls to show the Editor, tied up and sitting on the edge of a dunk tank. "It's her fault. She has had this chapter for the past…" He checks his watch. "Three Months. She kept telling me she would get the chapter to me and not doing it." Quote motions and baseballs roll to the feet of every reader. "Now you are free to take your revenge. DUNK HER!"

"Now," Quote steps up behind a podium. "You should all know that I have finished this semester of College, and have made my way home. I have not done any writing recently because of the Hell Raising amount of work that I had to do for college finals. However I am home now and I plan on writing more and more as the summer goes on."

"Just a few more things to cover. A-man, a reviewer of my last chapter told me that Kyuubi was Female. I offered him the chance to step forward and prove himself. I have not even heard a peep in these past months. I have done my own research and found only one thing to point to the Kyuubi's gender in the Naruto Universe. I have heard from a very reliable source that the Japanese word that Kyuubi uses to refer to it's self, in the anime, fully translates to 'I (Old Man)'. In this the Kyuubi is calling it's self a male."

"The second Issue: Haku. I am well aware of Haku's actual gender. In the series Haku is MALE. Yes I know this. I have read the entire series that has been released to this date." Sighs and leans against the podium. "That being said, I offered to let the readers put a little input into the story. It wasn't going to change anything really in the story. Anyway the votes are in. Haku's Gender: 54 votes for MALE, 74 Votes for FEMALE. Haku will be female for the rest of the story."

"I will never leave another option in the story up to you people. All suggestions for pairings are being thrown out. All suggestions for clothes are being thrown out. All suggestions for what else should happen are being thrown out. I will not read them, I don't even care. You are reading this story because you trust me to write it well. Trust me and stop making suggestions."

"Enough Ranting, you may now read my story."

* * *

Legal: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Ten – Return Home

Several days later, Zabuza had been buried, Sasuke had recovered enough for the trip home, and the bridge was finished. All the workers who had run off in fear had returned and worked nonstop, invigorated by the death of Gatou. They finished the bridge in record time.

When Haku realized on the second day that Zabuza had died releasing her, she came out of her shell and made friends with Naruto and the others. While Sasuke was recovering, she and Naruto would spar together. The fights were just practice so neither of them went all out. Usually, they would stop before a clear winner was decided. Kakashi had passed the time guarding the bridge, though it was really unnecessary.

Then it was time to go, and Haku still hadn't decided on what she was going to do. The sword was far too big for her to use. Haku told Naruto that when the next of the Swordsmen was found it would change to suit them, that was the Changing Sword's Ability. Naruto did his best to convince her that she should come with them back to Leaf.

Sasuke was still a little mistrustful of the girl that had beaten him and remained cold towards her, trying his best not to acknowledge her. Kakashi seemed indifferent and shrugged when Naruto suggested that she come, instead giggling at a passage in his book before turning the page.

In the end, Haku decided that it would be best for her to return to Mist with the sword so that its successor could be found. Naruto was disappointed but he understood and said that if she ever came to Leaf she should find him so they could spar. She agreed readily.

They said their goodbyes. Inari took it the hardest, calling Naruto 'brother' and almost bursting into tears when Naruto told him to become strong and a role model for the other people. Naruto promised that he'd come visit when he had enough time off.

As they were walking away, Tazuna proposed a name for the Bridge they had built. The Great Naruto Bridge, for the boy who had brought courage to the people of the village, and had given them a chance for a future. The villagers agreed.

The trip home was an uneventful one. Naruto spent the time training, walking up trees on the side of the road and jumping from one to the other using his chakra to stick to the following tree. Eventually, the other genin joined in and they spent the time racing from point to point. Somehow, no matter what point they selected for the end of the race, Kakashi was always there, reading his book long before they arrived.

At the gates to Konoha, Kakashi told them they had four days off to due to the mission. Kakashi decided to go to the Hokage to give the mission report and figure out what to do with Naruto and his developing abilities. Sasuke left, saying he had training to do. Sakura was anxious to get home and see her parents. Naruto smiled to himself as he went off through the shopping district, he had a friend to see about some new clothes.

Wonderland Clothing was having a slow day. Keito was sitting at the front counter, reading a book when the bell sounded for the door. She looked up from her book to see Naruto dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans. On his back there was a heavy looking bag with a little ripped orange fabric sticking out. She didn't say anything as Naruto walked up to her and set the bag down on the counter. She opened the bag and pulled out Naruto's ripped and ruined jacket. She turned a critical eye on Naruto who only shrugged as he gave her his foxy grin. She almost laughed as she turned to call her husband from the back room.

Kibou came to the front of the store and saw Naruto. He smiled at the boy until he saw the ruined jacket on the counter. He shot Naruto an exasperated look and again Naruto only shrugged and grinned. Kibou shook his head and walked over to Naruto, ruffling his hair with one hand. They were family, they really didn't need words, their body language said everything.

"How about a whole new look," he asked as he surveyed the damage to the jacket. "I was looking over your old sketches, and got some ideas."

"You're not the only one," Naruto pulled out the sketchbook he had filled on the trip to and from Wave.

Keito went to the door and flipped the sign to 'Closed.'

"I'll get the Tea," she said as her husband and the boy walked into the back room. It was good to have Naruto back.

The first day was spent going over old and new sketches, eventually combining the aspects that each of them liked into a new look for Naruto. The second day was spent fitting Naruto and finding the materials they wanted as well as fine-tuning the look. While Kibou made the clothing on the third day, Keito and Naruto worked on the armor. On the fourth day, it was ready.

Naruto walked into the dressing room with the bundle of clothes, while Kibou and Keito waited anxiously for his report.

Naruto stepped out of the dressing room in a slightly loose long-sleeved white shirt and dark grey pants. The pants had several buckles and ties so they could be quickly adjusted from loose casual wear to tight fitting training or fighting gear. Both had the same triple-layer design of his original jacket and pants, but were thinner and lighter without much loss in the protective ability. There was also a belt, which had only a few pouches attached to the rings along its side, but the capability of adding more.

Next, Naruto started to change for the armor. They had decided that the armor should be secondary to the clothing. Naruto reached up and grabbed his sleeves, pulling them off. They could be attached or detached easily because of several clever knots that Kibou had tied. Naruto also reached for several strings on the sides of the torso of the shirt. Pulling them, the shirt became skintight and would remain that way until he released them.

Naruto reached down and picked up the largest piece of armor. Naruto slipped his head and right arm through their respective holes, and then quickly buckled it along the left side. The armor was specially treated metal that showed up as a slight off-white color that did not shine at all. The white armor reached over most of Naruto's stomach and across his entire back. There were also shoulder guards.

Next, he picked up the forearms and gloves. The gloves were fingerless and the same dark grey as the pants. On the back of each glove was a piece of the white metal. They fit on easily and stretched over Naruto's hands. He put on the forearms protectors next. Again, they were the same treated metal, but there was a red design carved into them - the two fox heads that Naruto had put on his original leather forearm protectors so long ago.

Naruto reached down and tightened his pants down along his legs. He took the shin protectors and snapped them on as he had the forearm protectors. A kunai holster attached easily to a few clips on the side of his right pant leg. He then put on a set of shoes. They were black and white with metal bands over the toe and half way up his foot that protected his feet and strengthened his kick greatly.

He looked at himself in the mirror and nodded, checking the full range of motion that he had he did some basic stretches. He turned to Kibou and Keito and nodded to them. This would be good. It would be very good indeed. With practice he was able to go from street clothes to battle ready in a very short period of time.

"Alright my boy," Keito said as she cracked her knuckles. "Time to see if you've been practicing." Naruto nodded and followed her out the back of the building. The sparring session went much better for Naruto than the earlier ones had. Neither of them used any Jutsu, instead sticking solely to the Element styles. Naruto's speed had greatly improved along with his control and his strength was also much greater than before. This put him on an even footing with Keito, who was slightly slower than him and not as strong.

The fight halted with Naruto using an open palm Earth strike to Keito's chest as she landed a burning Fire punch to his cheek. Both of them skidded away from each other, Keito winded from Naruto's punch while he was still dizzy from hers.

"Very Impressive, Naruto," Kibou clapped from the sidelines.

"Yes indeed, little brother." A small man apparently in his late thirties stepped out of a shadow by the wall. He was wearing brown clothing of a nondescript nature. He had strong-looking arms and large hands. His hair was brown and cut short. His face was pinched, with small eyes hidden behind black sunglasses.

Naruto turned to face the intruder. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it. His vision slowly cleared and he squinted at the face. Then suddenly it came to him.

"Second Brother, what are you doing here?" Naruto blurted out, surprised at Nibi's sudden appearance and his human form. Keito and Kibou relaxed a little, if Naruto knew the man, he was alright. Naruto had told them about his last mission but they had understood when he had said that he couldn't tell them everything.

"Good to be recognized," the Two Tailed Mole Demon in human disguise broke into a wide grin. He turned and bowed to both Kibou and Keito. "I thank you, for all you have done for my little brother, but if you will spare us a moment we have something to talk about." Husband and wife looked at each other and then at Naruto. He nodded that it was alright and they took their leave, going inside to wait for him.

"Second Brother, it is good to see you, but why are you here?" Naruto questioned. He motioned for him to sit in one of the chairs that were there. They sat facing one another.

"We each give out tests in out own ways," Second Brother began. Naruto was suddenly paying very close attention to what the being in front of him way saying. "One aspect of my abilities is to find what is hidden, and this is indeed an important part of everyone's life. For this reason I present to you my test. Find our First Brother. When you have, you will receive my blessing."

"Find him?" Naruto was shocked. "But he could be anywhere. How am I even supposed to start?" But Nibi only smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry Little Brother, but that is for you to find out. I wish you Luck." And with that, there was a swirl of purple chakra and the man disappeared. A lingering odor of wet earth remained for a moment before blowing away. Naruto slowly turned and wondered back inside the back room of the store where Kibou and Keito were waiting.

"Naruto," Keito said slowly. "Who was that?" Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled at the two of them.

"He's family," and that was all he had to say. Naruto removed his armor and loosened the clothing. He put the forearm protectors in the shin protectors and then placed them both into the torso armor to save space. He put them into a bag that fit easily into his backpack and there was still some extra room. They ate lunch together before Naruto had to go home and prepare for meeting with his team the next day.

Keito gave him a hug and a new scroll for him to read when he got home. Kibou ruffled his hair again and made him promise to stop by on days when he didn't have missions. He also made him promise to come by once a week for dinner no matter what. Naruto agreed whole-heartedly before he set off home. His thoughts reverted to what Nibi had told him his task was. How was he supposed to find Ichibi, his First Brother?

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the shout of a boy as he turned a corner. Just a little way down the path a little boy with a long scarf was being held up by a teenager dressed in black with odd face paint and a wrapped up parcel on his back. Behind him there was another teenager, a girl dressed in pink with a large folded fan strapped to her back.

"Let him go," Naruto said. "Or something bad may happen to you." He noted that they were wearing forehead protectors with a different design from his own. They had the hourglass mark of Hidden Sand.

"Huh, this kid ran into me," said the one in black holding up the boy. "It hurt." He started to pull back a fist to punch the boy with the abnormally long scarf. Naruto jumped into action performing hand seals. A clone formed behind his back and with a _Kawrimi no Jutsu_ (Body Switch Technique) switched the places of the boy and the clone.

Before the boy with a painted face could react, the clone had grabbed his wrist and was flipping backwards. A metal-toed sneaker came into hard contact with his chin and sent him flying back as the clone disappeared.

"I did warn you," Naruto said smiling a bit as the boy picked himself out of some trash. The girl had gotten into a defensive position expecting the fight to continue, her hands on the massive fan ready to swing it into position. The boy in black stood and brought the wrapped bundle from behind him. Glaring at Naruto he grabbed the bandages and started to unwrap it when he was stopped by a voice.

"Kankuro," the voice came from a tree, Naruto looked to see another boy standing upside down on a branch. He was dressed in black with a sash across his front and a large gourd on his back. Under short-cropped hair there were black-rimmed eyes and a tattoo over his left eye. "Stop that, you're an embarrassment."

"G… Gaara," the ninja in black stuttered. All the fight had gone out of him, and he was shaking a little as he put the wrapped thing back on his back. This new boy seemed to scare him and the other girl. Naruto wondered what was up and activated his demon eyes to level one only, he had mastered it to a level where it looked like his normal eyes. "It wasn't me… that kid started it," he said, pointing at Naruto.

"Shut up," Gaara said as he jumped down from the branch, falling easily onto the ground between the two foreign ninja. "Or I will kill you."

What Naruto saw with his Aura vision told him some interesting information. The boy in black and the girl were not just scared, they were terrified. He looked at the boy next and was startled at what he saw. The boy was deeply troubled, the shimmer of madness flowed around him but it looked like he wasn't beyond hope yet. The other thing that he saw really put him on edge. His aura had demon qualities to it, like those of the other Great Demons that he had seen at the meeting.

"You," Naruto pointed to the red haired boy that scared the other two so much. "Who are you and why are you here in Konoha?"

"Gaara of the Desert," he said. His voice was neutral, his arms crossed in front of him as he looked at Naruto. "We're here for the Chuunin Exam."

Naruto nodded, he knew what the Chuunin exam was, Keito had explained it to him before. It was the series of tests that were used to determine who could graduate from Genin to Chuunin, the next step up in the ninja hierarchy. It was available to ninja of all nations so in all likelihood there were going to be a lot of foreign ninja coming in to Konoha.

"I expect I'll see you there," he said, smiling as the red haired boy turned and walked away. Naruto had no idea what Kakashi's plans were for the Chuunin exam, but he was going to be sure to bring it up next time he saw him.

Naruto released the Demon Eyes, but still watched them until they had rounded the next corner. He looked down at the boy he had saved and saw he wasn't afraid any more. In fact he had the bright eyes of admiration for the blond ninja. That made Naruto a little uncomfortable.

"WOW," the youth suddenly yelled, causing Naruto to jump back. "That was so awesome. He was so big and scary and you were so AWSOME! I'm Konohamaru," he spoke very quickly and loudly continuing on. For every step back Naruto took the boy took a step forward, keeping them at the same distance. Naruto was greatly relieved from the boy's ranting when Sasuke took that moment to come and inadvertently rescue him.

"Naruto," he said from a high branch on a tree. "Kakashi wanted us all to meet at the training grounds. Come on." He continued on to the Training Area, leaving Naruto to catch up.

Naruto didn't waste a moment. Immediately blurring, he disappeared and left the Hokage's Grandson with a new idol. He caught up with Sasuke and they continued on together.

They arrived to find Sakura already there. As usual, Kakashi had not arrived yet, so they waited. Sasuke brooded and Sakura fawned over him. Naruto sat down to meditate. Kyuubi had been acting weird since the Nibi had talked with him. In his mind, Naruto stepped out of the shadows and formed a comfortable chair for him to sit in.

"Kyuubi, what is going on?" Naruto questioned.

"**Hmm,"** Kyuubi rumbled to himself. **"Second Brother knows something,"** he seemed to be talking to himself. **"Why he waited till now to give you this task…"** Kyuubi continued to mumble too low for Naruto to hear. Naruto sighed and snapped his fingers, sending a mental command to the area on the other side of the seal. The reaction took a moment, but the effects were explosive from there.

It had taken Kyuubi a moment to realize, but he was no longer the Great Demon Fox, Lord of Volcanoes, strongest of all the Great Demons. Instead he was Kyuubi, Great Stuffed Fox, Lord of the Girls Room, and Cutest of all the Plushies. The look on his face was one of abject terror and he screamed in horror at the change in his environment. He was no longer in a great barren lava field. Instead he was in a girl's room, a PINK girl's room, surrounded by all manner of things 'cute.' The change only lasted a few seconds but it left the Great Demon trembling even after his normal environment had been restored.

Naruto, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he was almost falling out of his chair. He had wanted to do that for ages, ever since he could change the look of things beyond the seal. He had just meant to get Kyuubi's attention, but the reaction he got was much better.

"**Never,"** Kyuubi growled once he had gotten his composure back, **"do that again,"** Kyuubi preened for a moment, smoothing down his ruffled fur. That alone almost got Naruto to break into new bouts of laughter, but he held back, Kyuubi was speaking again. **"My Second Brother, Nibi, may not be our strongest, but he is one of our smartest. He gave you that task earlier today for a reason. My guess is that Ichibi is somewhere in this pitiful village."** Naruto was thinking about what Kyuubi said when he felt someone shaking his shoulder in the Real World.

"We'll talk about this later," Naruto said before fading away and returning to the Real World.

"Alright," Kakashi started when he saw Naruto had woken up. "Sorry it took me so long, I was picking these up." He reached into a pocket and took out three pieces of paper. "These are your nominations for the Chuunin exam." This made Naruto break into a wide grin and even Sasuke smirked a bit. Naruto looked over and saw Sakura looked torn.

"Don't worry Sakura," he said, giving her a friendly smile. "We can take anything they throw at us, but we'll be stronger, and have a better chance if we go into this together as a team. And besides, we've all gotten TONS better, all of us." She smiled at him and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Kakashi smiled at them, they had become a lot closer as a team. He reached into a pocket and took out a pen. He held it out for them, Sasuke took it and signed his name, Naruto second, and Sakura after that. He then took them back and put them into a pocket before giving them his final instructions.

"The exam starts in two days, train today, rest tomorrow and be ready for anything in the exam. Remember, you are a team." And with that, he disappeared glad that he didn't have to worry about all three of them signing up together.

"YEA!" Naruto punched the air. "There will be tough opponents. I can't wait. I'll see you guys in two days." Naruto started running, heading to his home. Sasuke started to work out at the training fields, and Sakura was running up and down trees to work on her speed and stamina.

When Naruto got back to his apartment, he sat down in the middle of the room and sunk into a deep meditation. When he stepped out of the shadows of his mind this time, he formed a dojo-like setting on his side.

"**Alright,"** Kyuubi said, ready to train in jutsu and control. **"I was just looking back a little bit on that boy with the strange aura. I'm almost sure of it now. He was getting that aura from my First Brother."** The demon settled down on the other side of the seal. **"But that is not important right now. He will be at the test, confront him there. Right now we're working on control, and you're going to get a few more jutsu from me."**

"Alright Sensei," Naruto bowed to his Demon Teacher. "Let's begin." And so they started. Naruto started with control. Coming out of his trance, he performed his flow exercises, going through every stance of the Element Styles. While he did that, Kyuubi lectured him about the new attacks he was giving him.

The first attack was a non-lethal disabling attack that went under the dubious name of _Arerugibakudan _(Allergy Bomb). A Close-Range attack, it required that Naruto form a specific toxin in his body that would induce an allergic reaction in the target. The reactions varied but they were each disabling in their own way – Sneezing, watering eyes, constricted breathing, or a terribleitching rash. Few would be able to fight for long after getting a face full of the gas. Through practice, Naruto would be able to exhale the toxin as a gas, or administer it through physical contact as well as be immune to it should it be used on him or if it goes wrong.

The next attack was called the _Kitsune otakeb_ (Fox Roar). The technique amplified the user's voice greatly as they roared out. It had several uses. It could activate what Kyuubi called a Flee Reaction, it imposed the feeling of terror on anyone it was directed at and could cause them to panic and run away. If Naruto was in trouble it could be used to call for help in the form of any Foxes that heard it, they may come to investigate anyway if he ever used it.

The last was a fire attack, called_ Hinote inju_ (Fire Ribbons). It allowed him to cast whips of fire from his hands at a distance of up to twenty feet. It took a burst of chakra to ignite them, but very little to keep them lit. Naruto had never trained with whips, so he would not be very good with them without practice, but it might be a good trick to surprise an opponent with.

For the rest of the night, Naruto rehearsed the hand seals for each of the moves, though he didn't actually ever cast them. Naruto went to bed mentally exhausted. The next day he would train the physical aspect of the moves out in the forest.

In the morning, Naruto left for the forest early. He went to his usual clearing only to find that it was being used. He recognized the three individuals as people from his class, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. Kiba's dog, Akamaru, sitting on the boy's head, looked around sniffing before looking up and seeing Naruto and Barking. The three Genin turned but only Kiba looked up at the tree where Naruto was.

"Hey," Kiba yelled sounding affronted. "You were spying on us?" Naruto jumped down from the tree shaking his head.

"No, no," Naruto assured him. "I just came here to practice for the Chuunin exam tomorrow." He jumped towards them. Underestimating the power he needed, he flew through the air, landing an inch in front of Kiba. He reacted quickly and acted like he had meant to. "What are you doing here?" His dog took the opportunity to take a whiff of Naruto's scent, and gauge his power.

Kiba was startled by how easily Naruto had jumped through the air at him, and he stepped back. But he rallied himself and faced Naruto.

"We've been training here for the Chuunin exam for a Week," Kiba said. "Where have you been anyway?" Naruto just grinned at the question.

"I've had a mission for a while, just got back a few days ago and I've been busy with stuff," he squeezed one gloved hand into a slow fist before releasing, the material stretching over his hand.

Hinata was watching Naruto, he had chosen to leave the sleeves at home that day because it was hot, and she could see his toned arms and couldn't help but blush a bit. Shino noticed her reaction but didn't say anything.

"Well," Naruto continued. "I guess I should find a new place to train." Naruto turned and prepared to jump back into the trees, but Kiba stopped him.

"Hey," Kiba was stretching his arms a bit. "How about a friendly spar?" Kiba was not expecting Naruto's reaction – laughed.

"No," Naruto laughed a little. "I don't want to hurt you before the exam tomorrow." Kiba was about to retort but wasn't fast enough. Naruto was already jumping through the trees quickly making his, way to another spot.

"Gah," Kiba made a fist and shook it after Naruto. "I could have taken him. He wouldn't stand a chance, isn't that right Akamaru?" Kiba was sure that his dog partner would agree with him, but he was disappointed. Akamaru whined and buried his nose in the boy's hair. Kiba frowned and looked back in the direction that Naruto disappeared.

"Is… is something wrong Kiba?" Hinata asked. Her stutter wasn't so bad when she was around people she knew.

"Akamaru can sense someone's strength by their smell," they knew he had been working on that skill so Hinata and Shino nodded. "Well he's saying that Naruto has gotten a lot stronger, and there is something odd about his chakra. If Naruto has improved enough to frighten Akamaru, think about how much Sasuke has improved. It looks like this isn't going to be as easy as we thought." This info had no effect on Shino, but Hinata started to worry.

Hinata looked where Naruto had gone and wondered if this is what her father had meant. Did he know about Naruto's growth? How far had he truly come since they all became Genin? More questions than answers seem to be the norm when it came to Naruto. But she had to admit that he was very cute, and his smile made her heart flutter. In Hinata's mind, the questions were becoming less and less important than the boy they concerned.

Kiba fumed and ranted for a while about how rude Naruto had been, but he stopped when he realized that no one was listening. Even his dog had started to take a nap in the shade. Eventually, they got back to their original reason for being out there and started training, but thoughts of the blond still surfaced in the mind of the pale-eyed girl.

* * *

Quote the Speechless: "No closing remarks. I'm tired. Just go make your reviews and please try and make them intelligent and readable." 


	11. New Challenges

Ghost Wolf: WE'RE NOT DEAD!!!

Quote the Speechless: "We aren't?" Checks vitals. "Holy shit, we're not!"

Ghost Wolf: "I was mentioning that for the readers benefit. Now what to do about the next chapter?"

Quote the Speechless: "Well, it has already been sent to the editor, and shouldn't take as long. I say 'shouldn't' but there are no promises. But she's the best editor I've got."

Ghost Wolf: "Well then, I say that we shut up and let the readers get on with this chapter before a riot breaks out."

Quote the Speechless: "Heh, a riot caused by me. Usually I need a spoon to cause riots."

Ghost Wolf: Smacks. "Do the legal stuff please..."

Quote the Speechless: "With pleasure," rubbing my head. "BOW BEFORE YOUR LORD!" Laughs manically.

Ghost Wolf: Beast him with a spoon.

* * *

Legal: Unfortunately I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Eleven - New Challenges 

Naruto couldn't find another clearing, but he did find a Waterfall, which fed into a pond littered with large rocks sticking out above the surface of the water. He jumped out onto the largest, a boulder in the middle of the pond.

"**Try something new,"** Kyuubi spoke up. **"Extend your aura as you would for your chakra."** When Naruto asked why, the demon responded, **"Testing a theory. So just shut up and do it."** Naruto sighed and tried the technique. It was hard at first, he had never tried to manipulate his aura before, but Kyuubi made him continue, instructing him all the way.

Naruto worked on it for two hours before finally he started to expand his aura. It came to him when he did an Earth-Style stomp. He felt a strange secondary flow, in addition to the chakra as he stomped down. A shockwave raced down his leg and into the stone, not breaking it, but passing through it. When it reached the water level, waves formed and moved out from the boulder.

"**I thought so,"** Kyuubi's smug voice came.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, looking down at his footprint in the boulder.

"**Well, I have been thinking about it since the practice match with that woman. Demons are grounded in the forces of Nature. Until a demon is one hundred years and picks an elemental path to follow, they train for them all and can control each to a degree. As the Greatest of all Demons, I have mastered all of these forces. Now, because I have given you some of my essence and acknowledged you as my heir, some of that control has been passed to you."** Kyuubi took a deep breath after that long explanation. **"With the small amount of my essence that I have given you, it has taken a long time for the ability to rise, but now that you have it, it will not go away. We will spend the rest of the day for you to get a feel for the basics of each of them."**

Kyuubi spent the rest of the day lecturing Naruto about how to direct his chakra and aura, even describing emotions and thoughts that would make it easier to work with each of the elements. By sundown, Naruto was able to accomplish minor feats with each of the elements.

With Earth he could make small tremors, though he was told that some day he would be able to make or break mountains. With Fire he could make small bursts of intense heat from his hands but not actual fire. Kyuubi told him that eventually he would be able to make fires that could melt any metal and burn brighter than the sun. With Water he could make waves, though one day he would be able to make Tsunami and whirl pools. With Air he was able to make a small breeze, though in time he would be able to make gales and maybe even fly. With Lightning he made sparks along his fingers, but some day he would be able to control the lightning of the greatest storms.

"**Forget training this ability for now. You have no time to waste on this skill. When you are ready and have time, we will go to my Siblings. They will teach you the different aspects. But for now, go home. Tomorrow is a big day for you, human."**

Trying to control the new powers exhausted Naruto. He barely made it back to his apartment and into his bed before falling asleep. Naruto had never had to worry about chakra depletion before, so he didn't recognize the symptoms. Fortunately, the Kyuubi could restore his chakra over night as well as heal his burns and the strain put on his body from the new training. So it was as he woke up to find that his alarm had been blaring for a half hour and he was late.

"OH CRAP!" Naruto yelled as he jumped out of bed and grabbed the bag that had his armor in it. He ran through the kitchen only to grab an apple and run out again. He didn't even go out by the front door. Instead, he pushed open a window and vaulted through it. Swinging off a flag pole, he landed on the building next door and started running towards the Exam building.

Naruto ran inside and up to the second floor. There were a few people standing around, talking about something but he didn't pay attention. He continued through an atrium when the sound of a fight caught his attention. He looked over and couldn't believe what he saw. Sasuke was fighting another boy dressed all in green. What surprised him most was the fact that Sasuke was getting the crap kicked out of him. Instead of jumping in to stop the fight, Naruto went over to where Sakura was watching and stood next to her.

"What did I miss?" he yawned. He had eaten the apple on the way over and was wishing he had grabbed more. As he asked his question, Sasuke was kicked hard up into the air. The other guy jumped up after him and looked like he was going to attack again when he was stopped by a turtle. Sakura, heedless of Naruto's arrival, ran to catch the falling Sasuke.

Naruto watched the strange scene before him. Sasuke hadn't been badly injured so he recovered quickly to see what Naruto saw. Sakura was astounded as the boy's teacher arrived and punched him. The Teacher announced himself as Gai, and Kakashi's rival. They were all surprised when he simply disappeared only to discover behind them, demonstrating higher speed than anything Kakashi had shown so far. He then disappeared, wishing his student, Lee, good luck.

"I apologize," Lee said to Sasuke as he rewrapped the bandages around his hands, revealing heavily callused knuckles, peppered with cuts and bruises. "I fought you to test my abilities. There are many strong people in this exam, another of whom is on my team. I am sorry our fight was interrupted, but the exam will start soon and I must go," and he disappeared as well, presumably to join his teammates.

"Well," Naruto said, folding his hands behind his head. "The exam hasn't even started and already we're finding tough opponents." He turned to see Sasuke smiling a bit, getting the idea of what Naruto was getting at. Sakura smiled a bit as well, though a little nervously.

"This exam sure is looking fun," Sasuke looked at his teammates. "Shall we go?"

"Hell, Yeah," Naruto yelled as Sakura nodded. Together they went up to the exam door and pushed their way inside.

What they saw shocked them. The room was full of ninja, not just from Leaf, but from many other ninja nations and hidden villages as well. Naruto didn't have much time to look around before a long haired blond snaked her way towards Sasuke and Naruto had to jump out of the way. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't have the warning Naruto did.

"Sasuke!" Ino practically screamed as she jumped on the black haired boy. The exclamation was immediately followed by Sakura yelling at her. They got into a little fight about which one of them Sasuke Belonged to. Naruto stayed out of it and scanned the room. Sure enough, there was the red-haired Gaara watching him from a corner of the room with his other teammates.

Ino's Teammate, Shikamaru, walked up, radiating apathy. Choji was next, the overweight boy munching happily on chips. Together with Ino, they made up the Genin of Team Ten. Shikamaru was mumbling something about how troublesome Ino was while Choji didn't seem to care so long as he had something to eat. They were the most oddball team Naruto had ever seen.

"Yo," Kiba's shout came as he noticed the two teams together. "There you are," he said as he walked up with Shino and Hinata. "I Hope you've all been training. We have and it won't be fun if the rest of you are knocked out too early," he boasted, sure of himself to the point of overconfidence.

"We're all ready for this," Shikamaru put in. "If we weren't then our teachers wouldn't have let us sign up."

"Hey," a new voice made them all turn around. "You are way too loud." The speaker was a ninja in his twenties. His forehead protector said he was from Leaf. "Screaming like school girls, you must be the rookies." His tone gave the impression that this was not his first time. "I'm Kabuto, and you're not helping by being so loud. Take a look at the team over there." He pointed behind them. The group he pointed at was three men with long blond hair. "That team is from Hidden Rain, they're known for their short tempers, so settle down before you start a fight."

"How many times have you taken the test?" Sakura asked. She was now more nervous than before.

"Six times over the past four years, this is my seventh time," Kabuto said as he reached into a pouch. "Look, you're new, so I'll give you some info." He pulled a stack of cards out of the pouch. "This is all the info that I've managed to collect, ask me something and I'll answer as best I can."

"How many teams from what countries?" Shikamaru asked. Kabuto's response was to whip out a card and press it against the floor channeling some chakra into it to activate the information. A small map appeared on the surface with a graph.

"There are Twenty-Nine Teams from Leaf, Ten from Sand, Seven from Rain, Two from Grass, Two from Waterfall, and One team from Sound." Kabuto easily rattled them off after a glance at the card. "That's Fifty One teams."

"Do you have those cards on specific people?" Sasuk asked, getting an idea.

"Who did you have in mind?" Kabuto shuffled the deck.

"Rock Lee," Sasuke said immediately. Kabuto whipped out the card.

"Rock Lee, first time taking the exam, with four times the number of necessary missions to get in." Kabuto didn't sound impressed until he got to the next part. "He's been training primarily in taijutsu, so he's probably a very good fighter. His teammates are Hyuga Neji and Ten Ten. Anyone else?"

"One more," Naruto surprised everyone when he spoke up. "His name is Gaara of the Desert." The others gave Naruto a curious look as Kabuto pulled out the card.

"Gaara of the Desert," Kabuto said. "From Hidden Sand, his skills are unknown. This is his first time taking the test. Whoa, says here that he's had a B Rank Mission, that's high up for a Genin." He slipped the card back into the deck. "Just remember, everyone here is the top genin from their villages. It means that all those villages, Rain, Waterfall, Grass, Sand, they all have sent the best they can offer. Well, Sound is a new village, so there isn't much to it. Don't expect so much from them."

The envoy from Sound didn't take too happily to being downgraded by Kabuto. They responded by weaving in and out of the crowd, preparing to attack. However, they severely underestimated the Genin around the man. The first launched himself up into the air to throw Kunai, but he was stopped by Sasuke, who had seen the attack coming. The next tried to attack Kabuto with a straightforward punch, but his hand was stopped and twisted behind his back by Naruto before he could complete the swing. The girl from Sound was halted by a growling Akamaru backed up by Kiba.

The three from Sound were pushed together and looked like they might attack again when there was a large puff of smoke and a large group of Leaf Ninja appeared in the middle.

"Quiet Down, All of you!" The apparent leader shouted at the Sound Nin. The man was tall, with a black bandana around his head, scars covering his face. "I am Morino Ibiki, and I will be conducting the first test." Many of the genin had apparently heard of the Head of the Interrogation Squad, and were not pleased to have him there. But they weren't going to argue with him. "Everyone take a number and sit in the appropriate seat. Then we'll hand out the Test."

"A PAPER TEST," Naruto was outraged and afraid. He did terribly on tests, so this was the worst possible way to start for him.

When they were all seated, Ibiki gave the directions for the rest of the test. No questions would be allowed. The test was ten questions long. Each person had a score of ten points. Each wrong answer resulted in subtraction of a point. Any time a person was caught cheating, two points would be subtracted. To move on to the Second Test all members of a team must pass. The rest of the Nin that had come with him would be watching to make sure that no one cheated.

When Naruto started the test, he looked over the questions and his depression deepened. There was no way he would be able to pass the questions on his own. They were out of his league by far.

"Kyuubi," Naruto thought. "Can you help me with these?" The great demon stirred from his nap and looked out through Naruto's eyes.

"**Shuriken? Cryptograph?"** Kyuubi snorted. **"I've never used any, figure it out on your own."**

"But I don't know how," Naruto was feeling really bad now.

"**Then cheat,"** Kyuubi said, settling down again.

"But if I get caught, I'll lose points," Naruto paused after thinking that.

"**Then don't get caught Kid, I'm going back to my nap."**

Naruto realized then that the real test was to cheat and not get caught. He closed his eyes and calmed his breath. Next he stopped holding back his senses, letting his natural sense flow out all around him. He realized that other people had already started cheating. He kept his eyes closed, first listening to the mutters and movements of the other Genin. Because his eyes were closed, he missed the looks that were being given him by Hinata who was sitting next to him.

Hinata had figured out that they were expected to cheat, but she couldn't figure out what Naruto was doing. At first he had looked really worried, like he didn't know what to do. She knew that he was no good on tests. But then he had stopped and gotten a far away look in his eyes, before a slight smile appeared on his face and he closed those beautiful blue eyes. Hinata blushed at the thought of those eyes looking at her, she blushed more at the next unbidden thought of those eyes undressing her in his mind. She shook herself and forced her mind to focus back on the test.

She activated her Byakugan (White Eyes) that allowed her to see almost perfectly in every direction around her and through things if she desired. She noticed that Naruto had opened his eyes and had to focus not to start blushing again. This time, the look in his eyes was sharp and focused, far more focused than she had ever seen before.

Naruto was using his eyes to look around him, taking in every detail that he could. The scribbling of someone a few rows ahead and to his right seemed to know what he was doing. Naruto focused his eyes and ears on him and heard the Genin's low mumbling as he moved his pencil. Naruto had to guess a lot, but he was able to glean a fair bit from the person, enough to figure out the answers to most of the questions.

Hinata figured out what Naruto was doing and looked at the answers on both the papers. She was amazed that Naruto could cheat off of someone more than twenty feet away. His answers weren't all correct, but they were close to what the man had written down.

Naruto worked his way through what questions he could answer before getting down to the last one. It made no sense. All it said was that ten minutes before the end of the test the question would be asked. Why did it matter when the question was asked? Finally, it was time for the last question.

"Alright," Ibiki said, getting the attention of all the Genin. "Time's almost up, I'll tell you the last question in just a moment. But first, a new rule: you may choose not to answer the question, but if you don't, all your points will be taken away and you will fail with the rest of your team. If you choose to risk it and answer the question incorrectly, then you will be banned from ever taking the Chuunin exam ever again." There was an outburst at this announcement, but he ignored them. "If you don't want to risk everything, then you better give up and try next time."

Several people raised their hands and walked out in disgrace with the rest of their teams. Sakura was feeling torn. She knew about Naruto's dreams, she wouldn't risk him failing now and never rising higher. Sakura started to raise her hand but Naruto beat her to it. His hand stood in the air surprising everyone that knew him until he started to speak.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME," Naruto's hand came crashing down onto the table, almost breaking it in half with the Earth-based Strike. "I WILL NOT RUN AWAY! Even if I am a genin forever, I will still become the best, and that means that I will NEVER back down or run away." He crossed his arms and glared at the Jounin. Deep inside him, Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh a little. "Ask the damn question."

Naruto's short but energetic speech brought a smile to just about everyone's face. Some wondered just how strong the boy was, they all felt the hit on the table, but it didn't really matter. They agreed with him and they were all going to take the test.

Ibiki saw that nothing was going to change and there would be no more people resigning from the test. He nodded and clapped his hands, bringing the attention back to himself.

"So, you're all sure about this?" he asked. There were nods all around. "Fine then, I guess I don't have any other option… I am going to have to pass you all." He grinned at the confused looks on all their faces. "The point of this test was for you all to use your skills to Gather Information. Most of you should have been unable to answer these questions, so there were a few chuunin put in with you that knew the correct answers. The last question tested if you were willing to take the tough missions. The hardest missions you will take will have the least amount of information on what you will be facing. None of you had any idea what the question was going to be and yet you chose to take it anyway. That was the true test, and you all passed."

Just then, there was a flurry of movement. A figure wrapped in black cloth crashed through the window. Spinning through the air, two Kunai were launched out attached to two corners of the cloth. Suddenly the cloth unwrapped and turned into a banner hanging from two Kunai stuck in the ceiling, reading "Examiner for the Second Test of the Chuunin Exam: Mitarashi Anko." In Front of the cloth stood a short woman dressed in a double layer shirt made of cloth and wire, a skirt, and a long white jacket.

"Don't celebrate yet!" she yelled at the students. "I am Mitarashi Anko, and we're all going on a field trip! FOLLOW ME!" No one moved. No one said anything. They all looked in disbelief at the loud woman. She looked around the room, an embarrassed blush lighting her face before she turned to the First Examiner. "Seventy-eight? Ibiki, you let 26 teams pass?" She scowled at him. "You went too easy on them."

The first Examiner shrugged and smiled at her. "There are a lot of exceptional students this year." Anko snorted at Ibiki's comment.

"Too bad," she smiled a little. "I'm going to cut them at least in half." Some of the quicker members realized that at this rate, less than a quarter of the original teams were expected to make it past the second test. And who knew what lay after that?

"Alright, everyone," Anko said. Her tone was much better this time. "We're going on a fieldtrip." Considering her personality, and the tone she spoke in, the 'fieldtrip' was not going to be pleasant.

When they arrived, they found themselves at a twenty-foot tall chain link fence, surrounding the creepiest forest any of them had ever seen. The trees were Massive, covered in snake-like vines. Moss and ivy covered the growth that could be seen. It looked like it had come out of a strange movie scene. Sounds could be heard from the other side of the fence as well. Some of them were normal forest sounds, birds chirping, wind through trees, insects buzzing. Other sounds were not nearly so bucolic, an animal scream echoed out of the forest before Anko started to speak.

"Welcome to Practice Area 44," She said. Her back was to the gate as she faced the students. "Also known as the Forest of Death," she said cheerfully. "This part of the exam will last exactly Five Days." There were many complaints about this. "Too bad, my exam, I say what goes. Besides, there is plenty of food in the forest if you know how to find it." She took a moment to whip out some papers and start handing them around. "If you sign these, you are accepting the possibility of death and you're still willing to take the test, so listen carefully before you sign it." She looked around to make sure everyone was paying attention and saw that Naruto was already snapping on his armor.

"This will be your Survival test. Half of the teams will be given the Earth Scroll," she held up a black scroll with the symbol for Earth inscribed on it. "And the other half will have the Heaven Scroll," a white scroll this time with the Symbol for Heaven. "To pass this test, you must come to the tower at the center of Area 44 with both scrolls." So this was what she meant by cutting the number of teams in half. "But that's not all. You will fail if you don't get to the tower in time, lose or have a teammate killed, or if you look inside either scroll before you get to the tower.

"Now if you think you are willing to face not only each other, but also the Forest of Death for the next Five Days then sign the wavers. Everyone on a team must sign for that team to participate. Line up and turn them in. Once you have, you will receive your scroll. You have half an hour to decide. And just remember, Killing is allowed for this part of the exam." With that, she walked over to the booth where two chuunin were waiting to take the papers and hand out the scrolls behind a curtain.

Naruto was snapping on his left leg guard when the papers came around to him. He took it and immediately signed.

"After that show I put on at the end of the first exam, you can't expect me to back down now," he said, apparently misinterpreting the looks his teammates were giving him about the armor.

"Where did you get Armor like that?" Sasuke asked. He had already signed his paper as well. Sakura followed soon after, she was sure that nothing could happen with Sasuke and Naruto on her team.

"Been working on it with some friends for the past couple days," Naruto finished buckling his chest plates and stood up doing some minor stretches. "Why? You want some?" Sasuke snorted in response. There was some armor in the Uchiha estate, but it was still a little large for him. He would see about getting it refitted to his size now. No way Naruto's shoddy armor could hold up to the fine work and shining steel of the Uchiha Armor.

Sasuke took their forms and got in line for the scrolls. A few minutes later, he came back to them, the scroll already hidden in his pouch. A chuunin led them away to the gate they would enter the area from. They were taken to Gate 12. The chuunin opened all but the last lock and counted down until the start of the exam before unlocking it and letting them in. He quickly locked it all up again as soon as they were beyond the trees.

"We should stay together," Sasuke said. "We stand a better chance against any teams that way then we would if we split up." They raced through the trees, staying up in the branches and going for speed and silence. "We should set up a trap for another team to get their scroll." He stopped on a high branch on one side of a clearing. "This is a good spot, but we still need a trap."

"I've got that," Naruto said as he jumped down from the tree and activated a jutsu. Two more Naruto popped into existence around him. Each of the clones performed another jutsu and transformed themselves into likenesses of his teammates. The real Naruto also did a transformation, but to make his appearance disheveled. All three of them were sitting, looking like they were recovering from an attack, and were apparently defenseless. While he was doing this, Sakura and Sasuke took positions on either side of the clearing, staying as well hidden as they could manage while keeping Naruto and each other in sight.

A few minutes later, Naruto, the real one, announced that he was going to the bathroom and walked behind a tree. A moment after Naruto walked behind the tree, he walked back around the other side, but his appearance had shifted slightly. He started to address the clones, but they attacked him, knowing it wasn't the real Naruto. The real Sakura and Sasuke attacked as well.

The illusion dropped as the Sasuke clone punched the Naruto imposter into a tree, revealing him to be a Rain Ninja. The clones dropped their illusions and continued the attack when Sasuke and Sakura dropped and cornered the nin against a tree. The real Naruto appeared behind the Rain ninja and attacked, delivering a forceful strike to the base of the neck that knocked him out before he could do anything else. A subsequent search of the attacker showed that he was not the one carrying the scroll.

Naruto frowned as he tied up the unconscious nin.

"This isn't working. It'll take too long," he said, finishing the last knot. "We need a new plan."

"How about this," Sakura put in. She had been thinking of a strategy since she saw Naruto make the clones. "Make another clone. Send the three of them ahead of us. They will encounter other nin, maybe set off traps, while we follow. That way we'll still have the upper hand if they are attacked." Naruto nodded along with Sasuke, it was a sound plan. He formed the clone and they set off, the real team keeping a few hundred feet back from the clones.

Suddenly, Naruto halted and signaled the other two to stop as well.

"The clones were killed," he said, keeping a wary eye out. "I don't think it was a trap, but it was fast. I got a glimpse of the attacker through the Sasuke clone. It looked like a Grass Nin."

"How right you are," a voice came from above them. They looked up and the Grass nin that Naruto had seen was standing on a branch above them. Before they had time to react, a massive gust of wind blasted through where they were standing. Sakura grabbed onto Sasuke so they wouldn't be separated, but Naruto wasn't so lucky. He was blown out of the trees and some distance away before he could get a grip on a branch to halt his flight.

A rustling sound alerted Naruto to an attacker and he just managed to jump out of the way of a massive snake's lunge. It was larger than anything Naruto had ever seen before. It was easily six feet around and a hundred feet long. He had only a moment to realize this before it was striking out again.

"**I. Hate. Snakes!"** Kyuubi roared from inside Naruto and poured out energy to the boy. The snake lunged at Naruto, mouth gaping wide. It bared its fangs, poison glistening. But it was not fast enough for Naruto infused with the power of the great Demon.

Naruto reached out and grabbed the fangs. One foot kicked down to the lower jaw while the other stuck to the tree with chakra. With incredible strength, Naruto pulled and twisted. A sickening wet breaking noise issued as the fangs broke off in Naruto's hands and the neck of the large snake snapped. A moment later, the summoned snake disappeared in a buff of oily smoke, leaving Naruto standing in a tree, holding the fangs that still dripped with poison.

"**Keep them,"** Kyuubi said, anger still in his voice. **"Go back to your friends. They are most likely under attack." ** Naruto agreed and rushed off, still holding the bloody fangs in his hands. As he ran, he allowed his demon senses to activate. His hair turned red, his eyes changed to that of a fox, but he did not transform, that was still his trump card.

When he arrived, he saw they were indeed under attack. The Grass nin from before was rushing towards his teammate. Wrapping around a branch like a snake, he made Kyuubi's anger flare again. He threw the fangs, hoping to hit the man as he attacked. The fangs pierced into the branch just in front of him.

"Sorry I'm late," he dropped down to a lower branch, still glaring at the attacker. The man radiated an evil aura that made Naruto feel ill. He also smelled strongly of snakes. "I had a snake problem," he stood, his arms crossed as he glared at the man.

"Naruto," Sasuke yelled, "this guy is on a whole other level." He took out the scroll that they had. "We don't stand a chance against him." He turned to the man, still wrapped around the branch. "If we give you the scroll, please take it and let us go."

"The HELL do you think you are doing, Sasuke?" Naruto yelled. He was outraged that his teammate was even thinking of giving up the scroll. The attacker just laughed.

"I see," the laugh made Naruto's hair stand up. "To get rid of a predator, Prey must give lead the predator to a different meal." Sasuke took this as an agreement to his request and threw the scroll. But it never made it to the snake man. A streak intercepted it and Naruto landed in front of Sasuke.

"Naruto what are you-" Sasuke didn't have a chance to finish before Naruto's fist connected with his cheek.

"I don't care what you think," Naruto's head was down so they couldn't see the look in his eyes as he talked. "You're afraid, and you're wrong." He stood up and put the scroll into his bag. "This freak isn't just going to let us go, I doubt he even cares about the scrolls." The man started to laugh as he stood up on the branch and lifted his left sleeve to reveal a tattoo.

"You're certainly correct," he raised his right hand and bit his thumb. "I was going to kill you all," he ran his bloody thumb down his arm over the tattoo. Chakra and smoke started to swirl around the man.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled as he jumped at the man. The anger from the Kyuubi was finally flooding his system along with the chakra.

Smoke filled the area for a moment before clearing and revealing a massive snake, many times larger than the one Naruto took down. Its tail lashed out and swatted Naruto out of the air before he could get to the man. It continued to hit Naruto around. He only had a moment for one attack he had to make it count. Naruto roared as he powered up, kicking off the tail before it could hit him again and launching himself at the head of the snake.

"EAT SHIT," Naruto flew down. A brutal Earth Style blow landed on the snake's head. His strength was multiplied many times by the anger of the Kyuubi towards snakes and the infusion of demon chakra into his own. The snake's head crashed down through everything in its way, but Naruto was left defenseless against the man's attack.

A stream of gale force wind issued from his mouth and caught Naruto in mid air. Naruto slammed against a tree, his breath knocked out of him and stunned for a moment. The attacker took that moment to turn the snake, which had been injured but not killed, towards Sasuke.

"What Will You Do Sasuke?" the man questioned. His eyes were full of glee at battle. But the snake never got to Sasuke. It was stopped a few feet away. The moment had been all Naruto needed to recover and put himself between them.

"Well?" Naruto gasped. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth as he looked at his teammate. His eyes were red and fox-like. The marks on his cheeks were notably darker and larger. "Are you just going to stand there, you coward?" The contempt in Naruto's tone struck Sasuke deeply.

"You're a fool boy," a long, fleshy, and above all slimy tongue snaked down and wrapped around Naruto's arms, completely immobilizing him as it lifted him up into the air. Sasuke and Sakura were still frozen in horror and disbelief and could do nothing but watch. Though he fought against it, the tongue resisted his attempts to get free. "I know about you," the man whispered from around his tongue. Naruto immediately stopped struggling. It was all the man needed.

In an instant, the man had undone the binding on the left side of Naruto's torso armor and pulled it open. He pulled up Naruto's shirt with the tip of the tongue, exposing the black seal that was visible. He formed hand seals in quick succession until the fingertips of his right hand started to glow with chakra.

"Five Part Seal," the hand struck Naruto's belly. He immediately felt his connection to Kyuubi get cut off. His source for the majority of his demon chakra was immediately cut off and with it went the rest of his strength. As he was thrown away from the man, he struggled for one last desperate act before he passed out.

"Fox Roar," He whispered before taking a ragged breath. He put his hands to his mouth and let out a long roaring howl, desperately calling for help from any who recognized the call.

The call had another unintended effect. Sakura was brought out of her shock by the chill sent down her spine by the eerie call. She saw Naruto go limp in mid air and acted quickly. She threw a kunai that caught the fabric by his side where the armor was still open. It pinned him to a tree where he hung limply. Sasuke was startled into action. He jumped into action against the attacker, his Sharingan eyes burning with intensity.

Sakura was running to Naruto to get him to safety when a flash caught her attention. Sasuke had used some string attached to blades to trap the man and a fire attack raced down them, catching the man in the face. But the man stood and took the attack at full force. When the fire cleared, only one of his eyes was visible, and it looked like the skin on his face was burning and pealing. What lay underneath, though, was pale skin that seemed undamaged by the attack.

"Very well done, Sasuke," the man said. His hand came up and blocked the eye from view for a moment. When the eye was uncovered, both Sakura and Sasuke found their bodies frozen. The man tilted his head to the side, as if listening to something. "It seems that I don't have much more time," he made an odd seal. "Remember this, Sasuke, I am Orochimaru. I will give you power." His neck snaked out and he grew fangs. Quickly, he bit Sasuke in the neck, leaving behind an odd three tiered mark. "Come find me, and I'll show you how to kill your brother."

Sasuke was about to respond when he screamed in pain, clutching at the mark on his neck, which was burning him painfully. Sakura turned to Sasuke and found he was unfrozen. She tried to ask the man what he had done but he was already gone. She rushed to Sasuke's side and tried to comfort him. She had no other idea of what to do in this situation. A few minutes later, Sasuke finally passed out from the pain.

Sakura was effectively left alone. Both Naruto and Sasuke were out cold. Naruto pinned to a tree by one of her kunai and Sasuke limp in her arms. It was then that she felt the presence. She turned slowly and saw something that scared and awed her. Figures were appearing out of the growing shadows. They were not human, but Foxes. They moved with little sound, all three of them.

The largest fox was leading, a red male with silver hairs starting to sprout along his back. Four tails waved through the air as he jumped from branch to branch towards them. He was the size of a small horse. The two behind him were also male, one a deep red with two tails, the other a bright red orange with one tail. They were only a little smaller than the leader.

Sakura was terrified. She didn't know what to do against three Kitsuni. She started to cry as she held Sasuke closer to her. She buried her face in his hair and waited for the end to come, for she was sure that was what awaited her now. She never expected what happened next.

"Who called for us?" an aged voice asked. Sakura hesitated before slowly looking up. Her young green eyes met with red demon eyes. It was impossible for her to read the expression on the kitsuni's face. She could hardly believe it when he spoke again. "Who called us?" He spoke in little more than a whisper, but there was authority there.

* * *

Ghost Wolf: "More Kitsune for those out there that loves them." Looks over at Speechless. "Don't worry folks, I didn't hurt his hands." 

Quote the Speechless: "Yes and there will be more, including the cute small ones." Clears throat. "On another note, I've turned 21!"

Ghost Wolf: "Yay...I don't think they care. The want more story and soon."

Quote the Speechless: "Yea, probably not but it doesn't matter, I felt like announcing it anyway."

Ghost Wolf: "Well then...Happy Birthday to you now get back to typing."

Quote the Speechless: "MWHAAAA!" Paper starts flying around everywhere.

Ghost Wolf: "MORE SPOON BEATINGS FOR SPEECHLESS!!! I'm watching to make sure he gets back to work everyone."

Quote the Speechless: "It writes or it gets the spoon again." Huddles in a corner over the computer.


	12. Trust

Quote the Speechless: "Well, do you think that we've given them enough time to worry and fret and guess about what is about to happen in my fic?" Sipping tea, smiling an evil little smile.

Ghost Wolf: "Be quiet... You just needed to find another editor because of what happened with Nonsooth."

Quote the Speechless: "Alright, well I'm not going to go into details but I will tell you that, for personal family reasons, Nonsooth will be taking time off. I don't want anybody asking to be my new editor or anything. I've already found one."

Ghost Wolf: "Well I think it's good that you have an editor again, but you've had people in a panic, thinking you had stopped working on the story." Rolls his eyes and pulls out the spoons.

Quote the Speechless: "Hey, no spoons," waves a finger. "I've got the chapter ready, got an editor. Ok, yes, it took a bit of time. But I've got it all. And now the loyal fans can find out what is up with those kitsune."

Ghost Wolf: "Yes. Let's let them get to reading about the Kitsune and see where you take us next"

Quote the Speechless: "Where are we going next?" Grins and finishes off the tea. "Down the Rabbit Hole and into Wonderland!"

Ghost Wolf: whacks him with the spoon. "Enjoy the chapter folks"

* * *

Legal Stuff: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter Twelve - Trust 

"Called?" she didn't understand. She was also terrified still, she didn't know what was going to happen she clutched Sasuke tighter to her.

"Yes, girl, called," he sounded a little impatient this time. "The howl, we know it came from here. This place stinks of snakes and battle, now tell us who called us."

Sakura took a moment to respond, she was having a lot of trouble focusing at this point. So she was a little surprised when she found herself pointing to the still unconscious form of Naruto with a shaking hand. "Naruto…" It was the only thing she could think of. After all it was him that howled, right?

"I see," the leader said before turning to look at Naruto. He turned to the other two and yipped and barked at them. The two tailed one stepped forward in protest and got growled at until he submitted. "They will carry you to the den. But each of us can only carry one person at a time. I swear so long as you follow our rules no harm will come to you."

Sakura wondered what made her believe him. Maybe it was how tired she was? Maybe it was something in his tone? Maybe it was the fact that she thought she was dreaming? Whatever the reason Sakura believed the fox and slowly let go of Sasuke.

The two tailed fox stepped forward and lifted the unconscious boy onto his back with his tails. The one tailed fox walked up next to her.

"Sleep," he said, the voice was young and cheerful sounding. Sakura smiled and felt her eye lids drooping. "I'll take care of you," was the last thing she heard before she fell forward and was picked up by the tail and put on his back.

"Keep her asleep," the leader said once he had Naruto on his back. "That other one as well. We will wait until we hear from this one before we wake either of them." The fox then jumped down to the ground and led them off to the den of the Forest of Death Kitsune.

Naruto woke up feeling very warm and weighted down. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but there was a weight on his chest. He lifted his head and looked down. He almost laughed when he saw a small fox curled up on his chest, sleeping. Around him there were other small foxes, one was lying across his legs, and another had an arm under its head. He reached up with his free left hand and scratched the kit on his chest behind its ears. The kit responded by waking up and yawning, nuzzling its head back into his hand.

"You are new to them," Naruto looked and saw that an elderly looking fox, four tails brushed along the floor. "For that matter, you are new to me." The other kit had woken up. "Leave us, we must talk," the kit looked at him and nodded, they ran off down a passage, playing with each other. "Now, explain some things to me, like how you were able to call us. And why you feel… familiar to us."

"That's probably because I have… a relation with Kyuubi." Naruto tried to contact the Great Demon for help explaining this, but he couldn't reach him. "Something is wrong," he tried harder, but still he could not get through to Kyuubi. He tried drawing on the Kyuubi's power, but could not even do that, only the small portion of his essence arose but he still could not contact the Demon inside him. Something was seriously wrong. "I'm cut off, I can't reach Kyuubi."

"How do you normally 'reach' him," the aged Kitsune in front of him asked?

"Well, sometimes I meditate, but I should be able to talk with him whenever I want." Naruto was getting seriously worried now.

"Allow me to see if I can help." The fox stepped closer to Naruto and leaned his head over the boy, touching his furry crest to Naruto's forehead. Naruto felt a slight shock before the fox jerked his head back. "You are indeed connected to him, but I never imagined you to be his container." The demon took a moment to digest this information, Naruto felt like he was under an examination and points were being deducted for his very appearance. "I am guessing that the seal that has trapped our Lord has been altered."

"Yea," Naruto said after a moment. "That would explain what happened. Can you do anything about it?" The elderly fox just shook its head.

"No, I have no knowledge of human sealing methods. You will have to find a human with the proper training to remove the seal, if it is even possible."

"Damn it," Naruto cursed, and then something occurred to him. "How did you know I was the Container?" The demon laughed at the question.

"I didn't get this old without learning a few tricks young one." He stood and indicated that Naruto should follow him as he stepped towards the door. Naruto stood as well and found that he had been relieved of his weapons and equipment pouch, but it didn't really bother him that much.

"My friends?" Naruto followed the four tails of the demon out and down a corridor. It was well kept with rough walls of baked earth and packed dirt as the floor with a scattering of leaves that made a pleasant rustling sound as they walked over them. Glowing crystals pushed into the walls kept it well lit.

"Still sleeping," was the reply. "The female is under a light sleeping spell, the other however is requiring the full attention of my second in command to keep him unconscious. A dark seal has been put on him, its taint is undeniable and again, I am incapable of removing it. I wanted to speak with you before I woke either of them." The Great demon stopped in the tunnel that he had led Naruto into and turned to face him. "Before we go any further, I should introduce myself. I am Nushi, and the current leader of this small pack." Naruto looked at the fox and bowed respectfully.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, Genin ninja of Konoha, Container and Apprentice to the Kyuubi."

"Apprentice? Yes that would explain some things," the fox said, leading Naruto to an open door way to a room. "The female is in here, as you can see she is unharmed." Naruto walked in and saw that Sakura did indeed look unharmed. A kit was sleeping curled up on her belly. "The little one is keeping her asleep while I talked with you, do you wish us to wake her?" Naruto bit his lip a little and didn't answer immediately.

"No," he said finally. "Just let her sleep, if she wakes up on her own then we'll just see how things go."

"Hmmm," the old fox watched the sleeping girl for a moment. "Take my advice, don't wait to long to tell them, or you may loose them." Naruto nodded in agreement. Looking at Sakura, Naruto started to wonder about something. The fox nuzzled the kit that was laying on Sakura. It got up and looked at them. It yawned and then curled up by her side.

"Nushi, how long was I asleep?" Naruto started to worry a little.

"Only a day, after we brought you here you healed quite fast," the demon fox looked at him and chuckled. "Are you in a hurry to leave?"

"Oh! No it's not that," Naruto said hurriedly. "We just have a task to accomplish, and with two days gone we are limited on time." The demon walked out in to the hall again, indicating Naruto to follow him, the boy did and continued to explain the task they had been given.

"We did not find any such scrolls in your bags," the demon said and then quickly added. "Understand, we searched them for the safety of this den and my clan." Naruto nodded, but was still frowning.

"Damn it," Naruto punched the wall. "That freak must have taken my scroll during the fight. That means we have to get TWO scrolls, and not just one," he was surprised when the fox ahead of him started to chuckle.

"I have some good news for you," he led Naruto along an upward sloping path. "As one of my sons was making its way back to the den he ran across a group of three humans. They were foolish enough to attack him. After they were… dealt with, he brought their bags back with him." Nushi showed the boy a small room, there were bags lying in one corner, he recognized three of them as belonging to himself Sakura and Sasuke, and there were others that he didn't recognize. "Those three, on the left are yours I believe. The three to the right of them are the ones that were taken off the attackers. The other bags and things are items that we have found or taken off the remains of ninja in the forest. Feel free to take whatever you wish."

"Thank you Nushi," Naruto went to the bags and started to go through them. In the second bag Naruto found a battered, but still recognizable, Heaven Scroll. "Yes!" He took his backpack from the pile and tucked it inside. He stood up and picked up his bag and those of his teammates. He turned to the leader of the Den and smiled. "I think you should hear my story."

"You know," the Kitsune gave him a fox grin. "I was waiting for you to say that. Come this way, I will call the others to listen as well," the elder led Naruto down the corridor and into a large room.

She must have fallen asleep on the way because the next thing she knew Sakura was waking up on a warm bed of furs. For a moment she thought she was back home and it had all been a dream, but then as she sat up she saw that the illumination was not from her bedroom window, but from a glowing quartz crystal imbedded into the wall of the earthen den. She pulled the top fur tightly against her as she looked around. Unfortunately by her action she unsettled a pup that been asleep on the edge of the bed and sent it rolling down to the floor.

Sakura watched the pup, unsure of what exactly happened before she fell asleep. The pup watched her back for a moment after it righted it's self. It yipped and tilted its head before getting up and walking out of the room. Sakura took that moment to jump out of the bed, very happy to find that she was still dressed. She was looking around for her weapons when a female voice came from the door.

"Ah, I see," a large female fox stood in the doorway. She was smaller than the other three Sakura had seen before, and had two tails. The pup that had fallen out of the bed before followed after, trying to stay hidden behind the legs of the larger female. "I am Kokyuu, I am sorry if my kit woke you. But since you are up the others are waiting for you. Don't bother looking for your weapons, they have been taken for now and will be returned when you leave. But please, follow me now." She turned and left the room, not waiting to see if Sakura followed.

Sakura had no choice but to follow, besides, she was getting worried about Sasuke and Naruto. The den appeared to be under a tree because the walls were covered in roots. It was very comfortable, with lighted crystals every ten feet. Sakura was so occupied looking at the surroundings and other hallways intersected with the one they walked down that she didn't notice the pup watching her.

Kokyuu led her through the passages without speaking with her until they reaches a large room. The fox stepped to the side to let her in. The small fox yipped and charged in tackling a figure by the bright crystal in the middle of the room. Sakura walked in and blinked, trying to figure out what she was seeing. It appeared that Naruto was being mauled by a pack of the small Kitsune.

"NARUTO," she yelled and started to reach for kunai that weren't there, her friend and team mate was under attack. She was surprised when they all just stopped. Naruto looked at her and grinned, he waved a hand at her as he smiled.

"Hey, Sakura, perfect timing," Naruto got up and shook off the small foxes and walked towards her. The foxes continued to jump around his feet. "Welcome to the den of the Kitsune of the Forest of Death."

"Demon foxes?" She had guessed, but knowing made her worry even more.

"Yea," Naruto said while smiling. "Don't worry. They won't harm us unless we start something." But Sakura wasn't listening. She was looking around, a worried crease in her brow.

"Naruto, where's Sasuke?" Naruto blanched a little making her worry about her teammate.

"He's… um…" Naruto scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Here, you better follow me." He turned and walked down one of the passages. Most of the little foxes remained in the room, but one bright red one followed Naruto, staying right behind his heals. "That guy that attacked us, he did something to Sasuke. I've asked the foxes if they can undo it, but they don't have the knowledge of human seals needed."

Sakura started to worry even more. Something had happened to her dear Sasuke? Sakura suddenly stopped when a fox stepped out of an adjoining corridor and blocked them. It looked at Sakura and then Naruto and then bowed to him as it stepped back out of their way.

"Sorry m'lord," he said in a gruff voice. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Sakura was surprised, the fox she had met earlier the one that took her to Naruto had been disinterested in her. This fox however was not ignoring them. It was helpful and treating Naruto of all people with respect. What had happened while she slept?

"We were just going to see my other friend," Naruto said. "And didn't I tell you to knock it off with the 'lord' thing?" The Kitsune just smiled.

"Yes, m'lord, you did," a light chuckle following the statement, but then he became quite serious. "Honoo was looking over your friend when something happened, a dark power surge from the boy. Honoo called me to him to help contain the energy and keep him asleep, it passed a moment ago and I was going to see the Elder." Naruto frowned and bit his lip a little while Sakura worried.

"Yes, go to Nushi, tell him what happened," Naruto said after a moment, the fox listened to him. "Sakura and I will go to Sasuke and Honoo. Also, tell Nushi that we will be ready soon." The fox bowed again and when they were past him he went off down the tunnels to find the Elder.

"Come on Sakura," Naruto said as he started to run down the tunnel. The girl followed him immediately, worried about her love interest. But other things were rattling around inside her mind. She looked at Naruto's back as he ran. He wasn't wearing his armor, so they weren't in danger, even though they were surrounded by powerful demon foxes. His manner indicated that he knew, or at least, trusted these kitsune. And finally the way that the fox they just met had respected Naruto made Sakura wonder even more what happened. But all thoughts of the blond were brushed aside when she saw Sasuke.

The black haired boy was lying on some furs, he was sweating and twitching a bit as a fox the color of a bright fire watched him intently, its eyes glowing as it maintained the strong sleep spell. Sakura started to rush to his side, but Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Honoo, how is he?" Naruto asked, stepping forward.

"Asleep, if barely," was the strained reply. "The… thing on his neck is very strong. It is making it hard to maintain the sleep spell."

"Why is he asleep," Sakura asked as she knelt down beside him? "Why not just let him wake up?" She was very worried, what had that guy done to her Sasuke?

"Because I will not allow someone with such a dark taint to wonder around this den." They turned and saw the Elder Nushi walk into the room followed by the fox that had bowed to Naruto earlier. He padded over the floor to Honoo, looking down at Sasuke. "Naruto, tomorrow we will take you from the den and back into the forest above, you have your task to accomplish." Naruto nodded and Nushi turned to Sakura. "As for you, I'm afraid that you cannot be allowed back into your world with knowledge of us."

"WHAT," Sakura wined loudly? "Why can't I? Naruto is going back." Why would they do this to her? And what would happen to Sasuke?

"First, you must understand," Nushi said in a calming tone. "Naruto is very special to my people." Sakura didn't understand, Naruto was Naruto, there had been odd times, but why would he be special to a bunch of demons, yes, demons, not people. "And you will be allowed back, but a Memory Jutsu will be used to make you forget what you've seen and heard here. Your friend with the Taint will also be returned to the forest. Because he has been in Forced Sleep he will not need the Memory Jutsu."

"I… I won't remember anything?" Sakura looked around and at Sasuke.

"It will be as a dream," Nushi looked down and saw the kit hiding behind Naruto's leg. "Kasei, why aren't you with the others of your age?" The small fox looked down as he stepped out from behind Naruto. He was too young to speak human, so he made yips and barks instead. Nushi listened and apparently so did Naruto, but Sakura couldn't understand any of it. After a minute Nushi looked up from the kit to Naruto. "Is that alright? Kasei is one of our most promising, but he lacks experience, something that you could give him." Naruto smiled and nodded while Sakura tried to understand.

"I would be honored with your trust," Naruto said and bowed. "I will take charge of him and take care of him to the best of my ability. I will teach him about the human world."

"Good, he will also be a useful messenger between us," Nushi turned to Honoo. "Do you require a replacement?"

"No," was the demon's reply. "I can hold him for another day in the Forced Sleep if there are no more surges of the Taint."

"Alright, I'll leave Shinrin here with you if you need to switch or need help," the fox that followed Nushi in bowed to the Elder and walked over beside Honoo.

"Thank you, Elder," Honoo was grateful to Nushi for realizing how drained he was and leaving a strong replacement.

"Now Naruto, Sakura, let us go, get your equipment and prepare you for tomorrow," Nushi started to walk out of the room, Naruto and Sakura followed him. "If I understand correctly you will have two days to get the remaining scroll and get to the tower."

Sakura glanced at Naruto. He must have told the demon about the test, but what else had Naruto told them? Now she was determined to remember as much of this as possible and fight the memory jutsu when the time came. She was also determined to figure out why they were being treated this way, she was sure Naruto had something to do with it, but she had no idea what had happened between them.

"If you would allow us we could go and get the other scroll you need and provide you with an escort to the tower." Allow? Sakura wondered, it was like the leader of the clan was asking Naruto for permission.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "We have already stayed longer than we should have, we must pass or fail this test on our own merits."

"As you wish, sir." Again one of the demons had addressed Naruto with respect, but this time it was the head of the clan. Why? How was the Dead Last getting the respect of a demon clan? So many questions, more than ever before rattled around her head as she looked at the blond team mate.

"I thought I told you to knock it off," Naruto laughed a bit before he turned to Sakura. "Hey, Sakura, I've got our bags we'll go over them before we go, I want to make sure we've got everything." A glimmer of an idea came to Sakura at the thought of her bag.

"Yea, alright Naruto, lets do that." Sakura started to go over in her mind what she had. Yes, Pen, Paper, and ink. She would leave a note to herself, and then when she woke up, if she failed to keep her memories, she would find it and be able to break the jutsu and get her memories back. Nushi excused himself and walked down another passage, the small fox Kasei stayed however. Naruto led Sakura down a passageway and into a small room with a fur bed. All of their packs lay in the corner.

"Alright, here's your bag." Naruto tossed her the bag. "I'll check mine, and don't worry, I've got the scroll." Naruto held up the Heaven Scroll. He turned to his bag and started to go through it, checking his equipment and making sure he had everything he needed.

Sakura took that time while he was checking his stuff with his back to her to grab her pen and a small scroll she kept for emergencies and scribble down a note to herself, making sure to use a reference so she would know it was from herself.

_Sakura,_

_This is a message from yourself, to prove that this is you; there is the scrap book of Sasuke pictures hidden under your bed at home. If you are reading this then we have failed and a Memory Jutsu has been used on you to block out a period of time of about one day. I am writing this message to myself, you, so you can undo the jutsu and get the memories back. Naruto is hiding more than it seems. If you undo the jutsu you will know what I mean. Whatever you do, do not let Naruto know that you know about the memory jutsu, it could be dangerous._

With that she rolled it up and put it at the bottom of her bag with her few exploding notes. She hoped that she would be able to fight it off, but she was going to fight off a Jutsu from Demon Foxes, she doubted she would be able to keep all her memories if any. Sakura sighed and started checking through the rest of her stuff, finding it was all there she closed it and tied the knots.

"Alright, I'm ready," She turned to Naruto who was playing with the fox. Sakura now took her time to examine it, the colors were just like a normal fox, and its size was that of a normal fox. But it acted like a cub and its tail was odd, just at the end of the white tip of its tail it branched slightly, making the tail look forked.

"Little Kasei here has already finished gathering power for his first tail and started growing his second," Naruto said when he saw her looking at the fox's tail. "That means he's the level of a Genin. He's working on his second tail that would make him a chuunin in the ranks of the Kitsune. Three tails would mean Jounin, I guess four would mean Kage. But then they don't exactly follow our styles of rank. For them, whoever has the most tails is the leader, and he, or she, designates the line of command. And going by tails is a bad indication for most demons, some get bigger with more power, others just gain more abilities." Naruto rolled the little fox onto his back and tickled his belly. "Anyway, Nushi happens to be the leader of this den, and he has four tails."

"How do you know all this, and why are you telling me?" Sakura stared at her teammate in awe. No one that she knew of could tell her that much about demons, but Naruto spoke of it as if it was nothing. But Naruto didn't answer, he lay back and the little fox jumped on his chest. "Naruto, what is going on? These are demons, but you are acting like they are normal people."

"You should sleep. We've got a lot of work tomorrow." He stood up and Kasei rolled off his chest and jumped up onto the bed of furs. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." Naruto headed for the doorway and out into the hall, Sakura scrambled up and after him, keeping her bag with her.

"Naruto, what is going on?" She asked again. Naruto kept walking for a moment, turning down a hallway to her chamber.

"They're friends, that's all you need to know for now," Naruto stopped by her door. He turned around but refused to make eye contact with her.

"Well, I don't trust them," Sakura said as she walked into the room. "They're demons."

"Then maybe you shouldn't trust me," Naruto turned and walked away before she could respond.

* * *

Ghost Wolf: "It's all a bout trust then? I should have figured you'd leave us with a cliffhanger again" Nods his head with smirk on his face. 

Quote the Speechless: "You're only just picking up on this now?" He laughs a little. "I'm the evil master of cliffhangers."

Ghost Wolf: "I just figured, hoped really that you'd finish up this part of the story. I want to see how you'll finish this test if Iruka isn't the same as in the anime."

Quote the Speechless: "Well you'll just have to wait and see what is going to happen there. Everyone is different from the original manga. And I love just tossing out things that no one expects." He turns to the readers. "You all be ready for the unexpected, because that's what I'm going to be handing out."

Ghost Wolf: "Well then before you say something stupid, I'm going to end this chapter by saying see all you readers later. Hopefully soon..."


	13. Confusion

Quote The Speechless: "Well I have finally returned. All the begging of my readers has finally reached me in my lofty palace on the slopes of Olympia."

Ghost Wolf: "And what does Quote the Speechless have for us today?"

Quote The Speechless: "Another Chapter of course. It's not like I'm going to rain gold from the skies."

Ghost Wolf: "Not that you could anyway. so will we get to see what you do to Sakura and the note now?"

Quote The Speechless: "Read and find out. How will the events of the last chapter affect the relationship of the team? Will all that they've worked for break apart? All those questions and more will be raised, will they be answered here? HELL NO!"

Ghost Wolf: "Okay then... you're starting to scare even me... are you still upset about those pairing reviews?"

Quote The Speechless: "Have I listed Romance anywhere Here? No, this isn't about Romance. It's about how people Interact, it's about action and adventure and having a fun time along the way. NOT sappy romances and Drama.

Quote The Speechless: "There are NO PAIRINGS."

Ghost Wolf: "Jeez dude... I'm sorry I brought it up then."

Quote The Speechless: "Sorry Man, all this stuff is getting to me." Sighs and settles down.

Ghost Wolf: "That's alright. Things could be worse though."

Quote The Speechless: Rolls my eyes. "Don't even joke."

Ghost Wolf: "Well... I think the people have listened to us enough and want to read the new chapter so Avant'e."

Quote The Speechless: "Indeed, Avant'e away." Waves a hand towards the chapter.

* * *

Legal - I do not own the Naruto Series. Gods I wish I did, but oh well.

* * *

Chapter 13 - Confusion.

Naruto watched from under the exposed roots of a tree as the three kitsune bounded off into the shadows. They had been taken to a spot not very far from the hidden entrance to the lair of the demons. The memory jutsu had been put on Sakura while she slept, so she couldn't fight it, and a follow up spell had been added to keep her asleep during transport. A high-powered sleeping spell had been put on Sasuke so the kitsune could make their escape without being seen by them.

Sakura would wake up in a minute, but there was no telling when Sasuke would wake up. Kasei was huddled back into the corner, his head on top of Naruto's bag. Naruto stepped out from under the roots and brought his armor that he had taken out of his bag earlier. He sat and put the armor on, making sure that when that freak had undone it that he had not damaged it. It turned out he would have to replace one of the straps, but it would work until the end of the second test.

"Uh," Sakura started to wake up. She put her hand on her head. A side effect of the memory jutsu was a headache. "Where am I?"

"Under a tree in the Forest of Death, with two days left in the exam." Naruto's tone was distant to her as he clipped his forearm guards on.

"WHAT?" Sakura couldn't believe it. She had been asleep for two days?

"Quiet, we're being watched," Naruto calmly tied his headband on. "They're behind me, in the trees." Sakura tried to stand but she was too shaky, she took one wobbling step before falling to her knees. She looked over at Sasuke and started to worry, there was no way they would be able to fight them off if they attacked.

"I can't fight in this condition," she started to shake. "And without Sasuke how are we supposed to fight anyone?" A small growl from the shadowed corner made her freeze. A small fox with an odd tail slipped out of the darkness and over to Naruto's side by the entrance.

"We'll take care of it," Naruto walked out, the fox by his side. Sakura could only watch and wonder. Why was he acting so cold? What was a fox doing there? Something was nagging at the back of her mind, like someone screaming from a soundproof room. She shook herself and worked her way over to Sasuke, trying to wake him up.

The Sound team watched from the branches of a nearby tree across the small clearing. They had found the team just a minute ago. Now they could fulfill their mission and kill Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto stepped out into the clearing. He didn't have time to set up traps to guard their position, and wished he had. He felt better with Kasei at his side, but he didn't know if he would be able to take on the three Sound Ninja. He would rely on his human chakra. He had a very limited amount of demon chakra, so he decided to wait for a time when he really needed it. Naruto pulled out his kunai and readied himself.

Without a sound, Kasei seemed to disappear from view, sinking into the ground. Naruto dropped into the first stance of the lightning style and channeled chakra into his arms and legs. It was at that point that the Sound team decided to show itself. They dropped from the branches to a spot on the other side of the clearing.

"Give us the Uchiha and we might let you live," one spoke. His face was mostly covered in bandages, a feathery cloak out behind him.

"Sorry," Naruto didn't move, giving Kasei time to get into position, "but I won't give him up. I need him to pass the test. Why do you want him? Did that Snake summoning bastard send you after him?"

"Orochimaru?" the other male on the Sound team asked. He had spiky black hair with face guards coming down from the side of his forehead protector. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know what his name is, but he left some kind of seal on my teammate." That was it; Kasei had poked his head up from underground just behind the woman of the Sound team and quietly scrambled up into a tree. "Your time is up, give us your scroll and I'll let you go."

"You'll let us go?" the woman questioned. "You're outnumbered three to one. You don't stand a chance."

Naruto smiled as Kasei started to rain down razor sharp leaves onto the Sound. Naruto made a mental note to ask the small fox to teach him that skill. The woman on the sound team whipped out some needles and started to block the leaves. The male with the face guards lifted his arms and gathered chakra into them.

"ZANKUUHA," he shouted. The Air Slicing Blast ripped up into the Leaf Shuriken, because of their light weight the blast knocked them astray and roared up into the trees, but there didn't seem to be any other reaction. "HA, a weak trap," the Nin said as he turned back to Naruto. "I'll take this one, Dosu. You and Kin go and kill the others."

"As you can see," the one called Dosu spoke up. "We are not to be trifled with." He lifted the guard on his right arm, ready to attack. "You had your chance, now you will all die. Kill him, Zaku." But Naruto was already doing hand seals.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," six clones popped into existence beside Naruto. "You shouldn't underestimate me, either," they said in unison. They formed teams of two and faced off with the three attackers. After only an instant there was the sounds of pops from above, and four foxes fell from the trees above. The three Kasei clones dropped down and joined the three teams of Narutos while the original dropped next to the real Naruto. Together, they charged the Sound team.

Instead of working as a group, the Sound broke apart, attempting to take on Naruto, Kasei, and the clones separately. The girl, Kin, attacked with needles and other weapons, but only managed to hit one of the clones before the small fox rushed by her and tripped her. The other clone twisted her arm and held it behind her back as it forced her to the ground.

Dosu used sound waves to blast the eardrums of the clones that attacked him. He managed to take out one of the Naruto clones and the kitsune clone. The last Naruto clone that attacked him came with a high kick. The ninja defended with the device on his arm, but not before the clone could land a devastating blow on it. The shockwave from the device blew the clone apart and the sound Nin was thrown back against a tree.

The last team of clones took on the remaining sound Ninja, Zaku. He took an offensive stance and fired off two Air Slicing Blasts, one from each hand, in an attempt to get rid of the clones. He did manage to get the fox clone that acted as a distraction, but the two Naruto clones dodged and grasped his arms, twisting them behind his back.

Naruto thought that was the end of the fight, but Zaku wasn't finished. Even with his arms held behind his back, he fired the Air Slicing Blasts from either hand, blasting apart the clones that held him.

"You can't defeat us like that," Dosu said as he got up. Though he tried to hide it, his arm device had several long cracks coming from a fist imprint where he had blocked the clone's punch.

"I didn't need to defeat you," Naruto said as he stepped to the side. Purple, tainted, chakra could be seen swirling around a figure under the roots. "I just needed to stall you till he woke up."

"Who woke me up?" Sasuke asked. Sakura had huddled back against the roots, terrified of the feeling that washed off of Sasuke. Black shapes grew out from the mark that Orochimaru had put on his neck. They covered his left arm and that side of his face as well. He had his Sharingan activated as he walked out from under the roots and looked around the small clearing.

"We did," Zaku said, grinning, indicating him and his team mates. "And now you die," he concentrated chakra into his arms and aimed them at Sasuke. "ZANKUUHA!" he shouted, firing a double blast at Sasuke. When the smoke and dust cleared from the attack there was nothing where Sasuke had been. "HA, I killed him," Zaku chuckled at how easy it was.

"Killed who?" said a voice from beside him. Naruto, Sakura and Kasei watched from a tree branch as Sasuke backhanded the Sound Nin across the clearing. As Zaku staggered up, Sasuke slid up behind him. Before Dosu could warn him, both Zaku's arms were twisted behind him and Sasuke's foot was planted in the middle of his back. Sasuke didn't give time for Zaku to power up another attack before there was a sickening 'crack' sound from both of Zaku's shoulders. Both had just been dislocated by Sasuke, who only grinned.

Sakura couldn't just watch any more. This was not her Sasuke, there was no way this terrifying feeling was coming from him. She had to stop him, before her Sasuke disappeared in those terrible black shapes that were appearing across him, consuming him slowly.

"STOP!" Sakura cried as she ran up behind Sasuke and wrapped her arms around him. Sasuke paused mid step. He turned his head to the left and watched her over his shoulder for a moment. "Please… Stop…" Not another word was spoken. All held their breath wondering what would happen next. After a long moment, the black marks that had appeared on Sasuke slowly started to fade back, retreating back to the original mark on his neck.

When the mark had fully retreated, Sasuke was cut off from the power that had flooded through him and he collapsed, exhausted from trying to both maintain and hold back that much power. Luckily for him, Sakura was there to catch him. She gently lowered him into a sitting position on the ground. Naruto and Kasei dropped down from the branches between the sound ninjas and the rest of his team.

"We underestimated you today," Dosu said as he reached into his pouch. He removed the Earth Scroll they had been given at the start of the test. "We'll give you our scroll if you let us go." Naruto looked at the scroll and nodded. The clone that was holding the girl down disappeared in a puff of smoke. Together, Kin and Dosu picked up Zaku and carried him off, leaving the earth scroll for Naruto to pick up.

Naruto looked over the scroll and saw that it was indeed the Earth scroll they needed. He smiled and put it in his bag with the Heaven scroll. Kasei jumped up and draped himself over Naruto's shoulders. Though talented, he was still drained by the techniques that he used. Naruto walked over towards his teammates.

"Are you two alright?" he asked. "We've got both the scrolls now. We should go to the tower as soon as we can. You don't look so good, Sasuke." Naruto walked over next to them and kneeled down by Sasuke, who was still breathing hard and sweating a lot. Sakura was watching Naruto and the fox on his shoulders. Naruto noticed and smiled as he reached up and scratched the fox behind its ears. "This is Kasei, I found him while scouting for a spot for us all to hide. From what I can tell his family or den or whatever was crushed by a falling tree some time ago, and he's been surviving on his own. And, well, he showed me this place and I like him so I'm letting him tag along with us."

Sakura didn't quite believe him. The message in the note to herself still worried her. Don't let Naruto know, it had said, it could be dangerous. And anyone could tell that the fox wasn't natural, she had seen it use jutsu, right? No, she hadn't seen it, she had only seen the effects, and the clones could have been made by Naruto and transformed to look like the fox. Even the Leaf Shuriken might have done it, it could have been set up beforehand. But she knew that she was only trying to fool herself. She smiled and nodded at Naruto, but was afraid of what she didn't know. What had happened?

They rested for a little while, so Sasuke could regain some of his strength before they made their move towards the tower. Sasuke pointed out that there would probably be ambushes and obstacles as they got closer to the tower. Naruto said that he would take point and thus warn them of any ambushes. Sakura agreed, but for another reason, she wanted to tell Sasuke about the note in private. So Naruto started ahead with Kasei on his shoulders, Sakura and Sasuke followed behind by a few hundred feet.

"Sasuke…" Sakura started. He looked back at her, for she was trailing a little as they made their way. "Something is going on… something wrong… maybe something bad." Sasuke didn't understand, not fully. He reached up to the mark on his neck and rubbed it a little before lowering his hand and continuing, his face betraying none of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he said, his thoughts always so self centered. "Stay focused on the test, it can wait till later."

"No, Sasuke, I don't think it can," she sounded quite adamant. "It's Naruto, he's hiding something, something big," she took out the letter to herself and showed it to him. He read it over slowly.

"Is this your handwriting?" he asked. He had apparently ignored the fact about the scrapbook. When she nodded, he read over the note again. He glanced up and towards Naruto. "I believe you."

"You do?" Sakura was startled. "Why? Do you also have a note to yourself?" She hoped, but he shook his head.

"No, but there are other things." His eyes watched Naruto and the companion on his shoulders. "I might not have believed them except for your letter and that fox."

"What do you mean?"

"After the attack from the guy, I fell… asleep, but not asleep, it's hard to explain," he shook his head as he tried to get back onto track. "I can recall trying to wake up again and again, but I could not. But on two occasions I almost managed, I heard voices, trying to put me back to sleep. I managed to open my eyes for a brief second. I saw a fox, a demon fox." Sakura stopped. She had just found a piece of the puzzle.

"Naruto knows," she said as she started again, her eyes watching Naruto ahead of them. "I am sure that he knows."

"You're saying that Naruto already broke through the memory jutsu?" Sasuke asked, he was feeling a lot better now, but his suspicions and distrust of Naruto were growing.

"No," she shook her head. "I think that he was never under a memory jutsu, and he's not telling us."

"Why wouldn't he tell us? We're supposed to be teammates." Sasuke was getting a bit pissed at Naruto now, and more than a little curious as to what had happened while he was out of it.

"We can't confront him," Sakura said, now a little worried about what Sasuke might do. "The note said it would be dangerous. We know you weren't awake, you said yourself that you were 'asleep' or something. What we should do is get this memory jutsu off me so I can remember, and then we decide what to do.

"Agreed," he said after a minute. "But I will be watching him. Something big is going on, and he is at the middle of it." Sakura nodded in agreement, she would watch him, too. They didn't talk any more, they followed Naruto and kept an eye out for any traps or ambushes.

After a while of trekking through the woods, Naruto stopped by a stream. He started gathering firewood. After a few moments, Sakura and Sasuke arrived at the stream as well.

"It's getting late," Naruto said as he stacked the wood for a fire, also collecting some stones to surround it so the fire didn't escape. "I say we rest here tonight and start early tomorrow. We'll still get there in time and we'll be safer than trying to push on through in our condition." He was right of course, but Sasuke didn't acknowledge him as he sat down by the fire and lit it with a small jutsu. Sakura sat close to Sasuke as she always did, but tonight she was silent, not even talking with the object of her affection.

"I'll see if I can get some fish," Naruto got up and headed for the stream. Kasei trotted after Naruto, eager to see what he would do next. They both missed the looks that Sasuke and Sakura gave each other as they watched the fox following at his heals. They then glanced at each other before they each got up and gathered some more wood.

Naruto came back a few minutes later with three fish. Kasei trotted after him with another fish between his sharp teeth. Naruto took some long sticks and used them as skewers. As the fish were cooking, Naruto noticed the lack of communication between his teammates.

"Alright," Naruto said, looking from one to the other. "What is going on?" Sakura and Sasuke exchanged glances and Sakura was about to say something when Sasuke put a hand up to stop her and spoke.

"Nothing is wrong," Sasuke sounded a bit colder than usual as he looked from Naruto and into the fire. "But we were defeated utterly, and it wasn't by a team, it was by one man."

"Yea," Naruto nodded. "What's your point?" Sasuke and Sakura looked at him in confusion. "Think about it, you really think that we can never be defeated? Be realistic. We are Genin, the lowest level of ninja. We've each got a long way to go. And don't you dare think that one defeat, from a guy so insanely high above our level is going to stop me. I'll bet… I KNOW there are beings out there far stronger even than him." He took a breath and looked at them both, "what about you? Are you giving up?"

"No," Sakura said after he had finished. "I'm not giving up," she reached for a skewer and started to eat one of the fish. "But he did something to both of you, I saw that." Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, as Naruto put a hand over his belly.

"This seal, it did something to me, boosted my power back there, but I almost lost control," Sasuke said as he reached for a fish. "What happened to you, Naruto?" Both he and Sakura watched eagerly for Naruto's answer.

"He just knocked me out with one punch to the gut," he lied. "That bastard hit me hard."

"But," Sakura stuttered. "I thought I saw him doing a jutsu." Naruto shook his head.

"You are mistaken," he started to each the fish, refusing to answer any more questions.

Reluctantly Sasuke and Sakura let Naruto take the first watch. They were still wary of him, but he insisted and they were both still tired, so they went to sleep while Naruto put the fire out and watched over them. He worried that they might suspect something, but he didn't have any proof. Just the looks they gave him worried him. Kasei had finished his own fish long ago and was curled up by Naruto, sleeping peacefully. Naruto reached down and scratched the little fox behind the ears. He had set up several traps and was sure that they would be alright, or have enough warning to be alright.

After a few hours, he woke Sasuke to take his place on guard. Naruto informed him where the traps were set and then curled up near the fox. Sasuke waited until he was sure Naruto was asleep before he examined the fox close up. This was his first opportunity and he intended to make the most of it. He noticed that while it was the size of a normal fox, its appearance suggested that it was still young. What interested him the most, however, was the tail. He could tell that the tail split at the end, but he had no idea what this meant for a demon fox, for he was sure that's what it was.

When it was time for him to wake Sakura, Sasuke took a little time to explain his suspicions to her, and she agreed with him, telling him about the fight with the Sound Nin that happened before he woke up. They both looked over at the little fox that had shifted in its sleep and was now curled up right against Naruto, who was snoring lightly.

"You think he's dangerous?" Sakura's tone indicated that she hoped he wasn't.

"Definitely," he frowned at the fox. "If it can use jutsu then it is dangerous. But it seems to be on Naruto's side, or at least willing to fight along side him. "We should watch them both." Sakura nodded as she took her turn on guard.

Nothing more happened that night, though in other parts of the forest there were the sounds of battle. Several teams had already made it to the tower, and it was going to be the last day, possibly the hardest. Luckily for Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, all they had to do was get to the tower, they had their scrolls. They ate a little food that they could find for breakfast, not using a fire as that could alert other teams to their location. Then they made there way towards the tower, favoring stealth over speed, but not by much. They only changed course a few times, to avoid battles and traps mostly, but once Naruto made them stop at a place where a lot of blood had soaked into the ground.

It didn't look like much of a fight had happened. There was one location where hundreds of senbon needles lay, as if they had all been targeted at one person. Naruto knelt down and ran his fingers through the blood. Then, bringing it to his nose, he smelled it. Kasei along side him smelled the blood, but was a lot more subdued, shivering, frightened of something.

"What is it Naruto?" Sasuke asked impatiently. "Why have we stopped?" Sakura stood close to the black haired boy, quite uncomfortable around that much blood.

"It's nothing," Naruto said as he stood up, brushing the blood off his fingers. Sasuke and Sakura knew it was a lie. He made them stop for a reason. But they didn't ask him anything as they headed off, Naruto taking a bit more of a lead over the other two, Kasei by his side the entire time.

Naruto felt something in the blood, the texture was different. He wondered who it was that had made the scene of carnage, and why he had been drawn to it. Who among the genin was strong enough to do something like that? But he didn't voice his concerns to his teammates.

In truth the term 'teammate' had been stretched near to its limits. Sasuke and Sakura didn't trust Naruto any more because of the letter and it was becoming more obvious that he was hiding some big things from them. Naruto didn't trust Sasuke because of the 'taint' that had been placed on him by Orochimaru, and he didn't trust Sakura after what she said in the fox den.

Because they favored stealth, they made it to the tower without much trouble, though there were some close calls. At one point, they snuck through the branches as two teams fought desperately below. Other times, they had to watch out for traps and teams waiting in ambush. It was then that Kasei's knowledge of the forest and Naruto's advanced senses were of the greatest use.

They arrived at the tower after an hour and were only mildly exhausted. They stepped through the doors. Naruto turned and looked out at the forest. He felt like they were being watched, and wondered who was doing it, but he closed the doors and walked into the middle of the room.

"Alright," Sasuke said once they gathered in the middle of the room, looking around. "What happens now?"

Naruto looked around at the higher levels the room appeared to be empty. "It looks like no one is here. Did we pass?" His tone indicated that he wasn't sure at all.

"I don't think so," Sakura said, she was now examining the writing that was on one of the walls. "'If you lack Heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared. If you lack Earth, run in the fields, seek advantages. These Rules will guide a …………'s extremes.' I wonder what that means." Naruto sighed and pulled the scrolls out from his bag.

"It means we're not done yet," he tossed one of the scrolls to Sakura. "I think we have to open them. I'll bet anything that the missing word is in the scrolls." Together they held out the scrolls, and then they pulled the scrolls open at the same time, looking at what was written inside them. Sasuke was the only one that recognized the type of jutsu that had been written inside the scroll.

"THROW THEM AWAY!" Sasuke Yelled. Sakura and Naruto threw both the scrolls that had started to smoke. Kasei, startled by the yell and the smoke, darted behind Naruto's legs. As one, Team Seven got into fighting positions, ready for whatever was going to come out of the smoke. But when it cleared, they all relaxed when Iruka stepped out.

"Hey, been a while, hasn't it?" Iruka took out a large pocket watch and looked at it. "Made it, with a few hours to spare."

* * *

Ghost Wolf: " WHAT THE HELL?"

Quote The Speechless: Does a little dance. "Paranoia, Suspicion and Worry."

Ghost Wolf: "You ended with Iruka appearing from the scrolls!"

Quote The Speechless: "Yea, You remember he doesn't like Naruto? How will he treat the boy now? A lot of stuff has happened. Things have changed a Great Deal."

Ghost Wolf: "You are an evil bastard you know that?"

Quote The Speechless: "No, no, no. I'm the Asshole. You're the Bastard."

Ghost Wolf: "Oh yeah... but I'm not taking responsibility for your evil. I think whatever the fans want to do to you now, I'm going to get out of their way and let them do it as long as it's R-rated and below."

Quote The Speechless: "While I hope for NC-17 and above." Laughs a bit. "Whatever happens I'm the Cliff Hanger God."

Ghost Wolf: "..." Mumbles under his breath. "Crazy writer is what you are. well folks, see you again next chapter. and I look forward to what devious tortures you come up wit for this asshole."

Quote The Speechless: "As do I. See you around people."


	14. Preliminaries

Quote the Speechless: "Whoops, sorry that took so long folks. A lot of stuff has been going on here and I've been preoccupied."

Ghost Wolf: "Yeah. I think they're just glad that you haven't stopped writing the story. But hey, life always gets in the way of living."

Quote the Speechless: "Someone once said, 'No plans survive fully with an encounter with Life.'"

Ghost Wolf: "Anyway... We shouldn't keep the readers from what they came here for."

Quote the Speechless: "Behold my scripture, bow in worship!"

Ghose Wolf: Throws a really old book at his head. "There's your Scripture."

* * *

Legal: I do not own any fraction of Naruto, though I wished I did. I'd be making a fortune.

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Preliminaries**

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he relaxed, kneeling down to pat Kasei.

"Well, I was allowed to meet you and congratulate you on passing the Second Test. I wanted to make sure that you made it out ok and ready to move on to the Third Test." He looked at Sasuke and Sakura, not even giving Naruto a glance. "I am also here to explain the quote here on the wall. This is the motto of the Chuunin. 'If you lack Heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared.' Means that if you lack intelligence, study, and be ready." When he said that, he waved his hand and indicated Naruto who only glared at him. "'If you lack Earth, run in the fields, seek advantages.' Means if you lack strength train hard and watch for opportunities." He pointed to Sakura as he spoke, and then he turned to Sasuke. "If you have both Heaven and Earth you can prevail under any circumstances."

"But what about the last line," Sakura asked?

"The word 'person' is what goes in the blank. 'These Rules will guide a person's extremes.'" He explained. "And that is the Motto of the Chuunin. It is something that you must always remember if you are to take the next step to being a ninja."

"You're wrong," they all turned to look at Naruto. "There is no next step to being a ninja, we are already there." Naruto walked over, closer to the poster on the wall, looking up at it. "I don't see this as a motto. I see this as a warning and a promise. The greater we become the greater obstacles we will face, both intellectually and physically. To overcome those problems we will have to grow, and change, becoming comfortable with ourselves and our environment." He turned towards them, looking at his teammates, former teacher, and new friend, all of them watched him as well. "And we will do it, and we will become greater than ever before."

Maybe he does understand, Iruka thought to himself. If he understands that, maybe I've misjudged him. "Naruto," They all looked at Iruka. "Do you think you are ready for the next challenge?" He waited for Naruto's replay as the boy looked at his teammates, and his fox friend.

"We're all ready," He said. "I am confidant that we will overcome all challenges."

"Maybe you are ready," Iruka said as he headed for the steps to the door indicating for them to follow. "There are a few other teams that have already gotten here. You will all be meeting to talk about the final test in the main room. I suggest that you take this time to rest up." They followed him through the door and into the next room where the other teams had gathered. Naruto hung back for a moment with Kasei and kneeled down by the small fox.

"Stay close to me, do what I tell you, and above all, don't cause any trouble." Kasei nodded. Naruto smiled and walked into the next room followed by the fox. He stepped inside and looked around at the other teams that were there. "Hmm, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, that's team Ten. Kiba, Hinata, Shino are team Eight. So, all the rookies passed along with two other Leaf teams."

"That Sound team made it somehow," Sakura said as she walked over to him. But Naruto wasn't listening. His eyes had locked with those of another boy across the room.

"The Sand team," Sasuke said when he noticed where Naruto was looking. But again, Naruto wasn't even listening. Sasuke noticed Naruto's intense look focused on the red haired Sand Nin. "What is it Naruto?" Naruto shook his head a bit.

"I don't know," he said. "But something about him isn't right, it doesn't _feel_ right…" Next to him Kasei yipped something. If it meant anything Naruto didn't show any more than reaching down to scratch the fox between the ears, an action he appreciated greatly. Sasuke looked at the fox in distaste but didn't say anything or move away as Sakura did.

The other teams from their grade noticed them and headed over. Team Ten was the first to make it. Or more accurately Ino was the first to make it, throwing herself at Sasuke, as Choji and Shikamaru followed after her. Sakura immediately forgot about Naruto and the fox as she rushed to 'defend her Sasuke from Ino Pig.'

"So," Shikamaru said. "Another team made it here intact. This is going to make the next test troublesome." Choji nodded, eating from a bag of chips that he got from somewhere.

Team Eight made it over next, Kiba and his dog in front with Shino just behind him, and shy Hinata hiding behind them a little. Dog and fox eyed each other slowly, but neither made any form of aggression.

"Where did the fox come from," Kiba asked? "Has the Dead Last started picking up strays?" Kiba laughed loudly at his own joke. The others took a little time to look at the fox, noting its differences from normal foxes. Naruto smiled and reached down to rub the neck of the fox. The others weren't so put off by the fox as Naruto's teammates, but then, they didn't know what had happened.

"I'll make you eat those words," Naruto said with a little laugh. Arguments like this had happened while they were in school together, though nothing ever came of it.

"Whenever you're ready," Kiba said and kneeled down to pat Akamaru's back. Kasei's ears pricked up and he turned his head swiftly. Naruto and a few others turned to look as well. They found Gaara of the sand team glaring at them from across the room.

Kiba shivered when he saw Gaara watching them. Shino remained silent though agitated and Hinata hid behind as many people as she could to get away from the scary red haired boy.

"They were the first ones here. Just a warning," Kiba said. "That guy is a freak, I saw him crush a man with sand without a moment's hesitation, and then the man's teammates." He shook his head, shuddering as Akamaru whimpered a little. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"Wait," Naruto interrupted. "You said 'sand', he killed a man with sand?" Kiba just nodded.

"Yea, he covered them, there was blood everywhere. It was a mess." Naruto nodded, they had seen the remains of the three in the forest. But Naruto started to smile, even laugh a little. The others looked at him unbelievingly.

"That guy is one of the strongest people in this room if I am right about who he is. And I can tell you right now that if I am right, then there are only one or MAYBE two people here who have a chance against him."

"He doesn't look that tough," Ino said, though she didn't quite believe it herself. Then she turned on Naruto. "Besides, who do you think he is and how would you know how powerful he is?" Everyone turned their attention to Naruto waiting for an answer.

"The First of Nine, and I believe he is my Missing Brother," Naruto reached the middle of his shirt and rubbed the spot of the missing symbol of his First Brother. His comment made his teammates remember what had happened in Wave.

Kakashi said he would rather face Zabuza than one of Naruto's 'siblings,' Sasuke remembered. He looked back at Gaara who was no longer looking at them. Could he truly be one of Naruto's 'siblings'?

"How do you know Naruto," Sakura asked. "If you've never seen him before how can you know he is one of them?"

"The sand, and a few other things now that I look at him carefully," Naruto was indeed watching Gaara, with a wide grin on his face. "One of his skills was control over sand. I'll need to speak with him some time soon." He turned back to everyone else. "I am going to give you a very, very serious warning. If you face him, for whatever reason, just back off. He is far stronger than you right now, and might even go so far as killing you."

"Question," Shikamaru spoke up. "What the hell are you talking about? You think he's your brother? Since when do you have any relatives? And how do you know so much about him? And besides, why are you, of all people, so sure we can't beat him?" The members of his team nodded in agreement, and Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto for answers, but it was not Naruto that answered them.

"I don't care how Naruto knows about him, but he's right." Kiba said. "We've seen his power, or at least a little of it. Without thinking, he blocked an attack that would kill any of us, and with ease he killed three people, crushing them with the sheer force of his sand. If you don't trust Naruto, then trust me, and get away from him if something happens. And if you have to fight him, just give up, that's what I will do if it happens to me."

It was at this point that there was a large explosion of smoke from the head of the room, under a large set of stone hands carved into the sign of the Tiger. When the smoke cleared it could be seen that all the Jounin teachers, examiners, and others had appeared. Among them was the Hokage, dressed in the robes of his office.

"ALRIGHT YOU BRATS," Ibiki barked. "Form up into your teams Right here!" He pointed to the area in front of the assembled Jounin. The teams all hurried to follow the black clad Jounin's instructions. When they were assembled he stepped back and let the Hokage step forward.

"Congratulations, to all of you, for making it this far. For many of you this is your first time taking the Chuunin exam. So among other things, I will explain to you what the reason is behind the exam and the competitive tests." The Hokage took a puff from his long pipe before he continued.

"The first test was to measure your capacity to bend the rules without breaking them." He smiled at the looks of confusion on a few of their faces. "A Ninja must be able to know when and where to bend the rules to get a mission done. The second test was to see your team work in under real mission parameters especially when you might encounter other ninjas." He took another puff on his pipe as the genin digested what he had told them.

"But there are other reasons as well. This competition is to further improve the friendship between the countries each of you represent. You have also heard that it is to raise the level of the shinobi involved. But there is another reason, and this final reason is probably the most important. This contest is a replacement for the great wars that were once waged between the Shinobi Nations. Instead of wasteful wars we now hold these competitions where the lords can watch and see the strength of the countries that entered. Nations with strong ninja will get more clients, and nations that show weakness will lose clients."

"Then why put us through those other tests?" Kiba complained. "No one was watching them!"

"The strength of a country is the strength of the shinobi of that country. And since the true strength of a shinobi only comes out in life or death battles the final test for the Lords will be…" But he was cut off by another ninja appearing a little in front of him. The ninja was kneeling but from his vest they could tell that he was a Jounin.

"Sorry to interrupt…" The Jounin coughed deeply. "But as the referee for the third test I ask that you allow me to continue this."

"Of course," the Hokage nodded slightly to him, though his expression was still serious. The new Jounin turned to the Genin teams. He looked very sick, pale and shaking slightly, he had bags under his eyes, and coughed quite often.

"I am Gekkou Hayate," he coughed into his hand making the genin wonder if he should be on active duty or a ninja at all. "I will be the referee for the preliminaries of the Third test."

"Preliminaries," Sakura wondered out loud? "Why would there be preliminaries to an exam?"

"It seems that the First and second tests were too easy this year. There are too many people for the Third test to take place in an orderly amount of time. So we have to trim down the numbers by having preliminaries." He had a long bout of coughs and not a few of the genin wondered if he was having a seizure.

"Uh… How are we supposed to trim down the numbers?" The girl on the Sand Team asked.

"From here on out each person will be competing individually in one on one fights." Hayate coughed. "This means that if you want to withdraw from competition this is your chance, but you will no longer have the chance to become a Chuunin in this exam. Dropping out will not panelize your team in any way." Everyone looked around, wondering who, if anyone would withdraw. One hand rose up.

"I want to withdraw," it was Kabuto, the one that had shown them the information cards before the first test. Naruto and a few others frowned, other than being a little beat up he didn't look like anything was wrong with him. "I've exhausted my chakra and wouldn't be able to fight anyone effectively."

That excuse didn't seem right at all to Naruto, he silently activated his Demon Eyes to the first level and looked at Kabuto. Sure enough, the colors showed that he was lying. There were a few other colors that Naruto didn't have associations with, and wished that he could ask Kyuubi about them.

As the referee checked him off the list of contenders, Naruto noticed that Hinata was looking at him oddly from the row next to him. As he looked at her he saw her confidence instantly vanish and a deep pink instantly surface. Quickly he realized that his demon eyes were still active. He cursed himself, without Kyuubi's help he must not be able to hide the demon eyes in first level. He didn't have time to wonder as to what the deep pink meant because his team mates hard started a silent argument.

"You should withdraw," Sakura was urging Sasuke. "That thing on your neck, it's bad, it needs to be taken care of." Sasuke was rubbing the mark with his fingers trying to ease away the pain that it caused him, but he quickly pulled his hand away when he saw his teammates looking. "It's hurting you. Please, I want you to pull out of this fight. I'm afraid…" Sakura looked like she was on the verge of tears. "If you don't withdraw then I'll tell them about the mark." She started to raise her hand but Sasuke grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Be quiet," he muttered to her. "I am alright. We've had our rest, I will be fine. And just stay out of my business." Even Naruto was shocked by such an open dismissal of Sakura's feelings. She had a right to be worried, and not just as a friend but as a teammate.

Naruto looked up at the Jounin teachers standing behind the Hokage and saw that they were talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. He saw a few glances at Sasuke and took a guess as to what they were talking about.

"Sakura," Naruto whispered. "I think it will be alright." Sakura glanced at him and then back at Sasuke still worried. "Kakashi won't let anything happen to us." I hope, he thought to himself, though not voicing it.

Sakura looked past them up to Kakashi on the stage. She bit her lip, thinking it over, she may not trust Naruto, but she still trusted Kakashi, and Naruto was right. She nodded and when Sasuke let go of her hand she didn't try to raise it. After she had taken a deep breath she turned to look at Naruto, Sasuke looked as well.

"What," Naruto asked, confused for a moment? "Oh hell no, there is no way I'm backing out of this thing." He glanced around at a few of the other teams. "I have unfinished business," he said as he looked at Gaara.

"Yea," Sasuke agreed, but he was looking directly at Naruto. "I want to fight you." Naruto was surprised by this proclamation, but grinned none the less.

"I can't wait." It was then that their attention was called back to the referee.

"If that is going to be everyone?" He coughed lightly. "Then we have a total of twenty people. The ten matches will be randomly selected by computer and displayed up on that screen." He pointed up behind him to a screen imbedded in the wall. "We will start the first matched immediately." He looked up at the screen. "Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi remain here. Everyone else will please go to the upper levels and wait until your fight is called." He pointed to the stairs and everyone headed in that direction. Naruto reached up and patted Sasuke on the shoulder.

"Don't loose too early," he grinned. "I'll be waiting for you up there." Sakura nodded and followed after Naruto. The Hokage disappeared from the stage and so did most of the Jounin, leaving behind the instructors of the teams that had made it. Everyone went up to the upper level. Naruto didn't see it but he heard Kakashi whisper with Sasuke.

"Don't use your Sharingan," Kakashi's voice was not quite his usual calm, but he was still relaxed. "If that Curse on your neck becomes active, you might die. If that happens I'm going to stop the fight." He then continued up the stairs, taking Sasuke's grunt as one of acceptance to his terms.

Naruto was relieved. He hadn't been sure that Kakashi would stop the fight, but Kakashi's words had confirmed what he had already suspected. Without worried he walked up the steps and onto the upper balcony. He stood, leaning against the balcony railing and watches as the fight begins. Kasei wrapped his tail around Naruto's Ankles and watches the fight though the bars of the railing by Naruto's feet.

Sakura stood a little way away from Naruto, keeping Kakashi between them when he came up. The other teams kept together, usually with their teacher standing right behind them. Everyone was watching intently as the ref started the fight. Akado Yoroi, Sasuke's opponent, started by performing a hand seal and focused chakra into his right hand. With chakra burning around his right hand he launched several shuriken at Sasuke with his other hand.

Sasuke took out a kunai and blocked the shuriken, hitting them with such force that they flew back at Yoroi. But something was wrong, Naruto could see that, Sasuke flinched in pain and almost fell to the ground. Staying upright he just barely managed to dodge his opponent's next attack. Yoroi had dodged his shuriken and managed to get behind Sasuke, trying for a hard punch with his glowing right hand. Sasuke managed to jump out of the way, and tried to grapple with Yoroi, forcing him down with a complex hold against his left arm.

Naruto itched to try the first level of his Demonic Eyes, but he couldn't, without Kyuubi's help he couldn't hide the effects of the First Level. So he contented himself to watch, he sat down cross-legged and watched though the gaps in the bars, Kasei moving and laying down, putting his head in Naruto's lap, both watched the fight, curious to see how strong Sasuke was against an unknown opponent.

The answer appeared to be not very strong at all. Yoroi had managed to grab Sasuke with his right hand, stopping him from completing the hold that could have ended the fight. Naruto frowned as he watched, something was wrong with this fight. Sasuke shouldn't be having this much trouble, he thought to himself. Naruto glanced up at Kakashi to see what he was doing, and saw that he was watching the fight. Naruto turned back and watched the fight as well.

Yoroi had managed to break the hold that Sasuke had on him and had grabbed Sasuke by the head.

"What is going on," Naruto questioned to no one in particular. "He's rested, there wasn't any trouble. He should have much more energy…" He watched as Sasuke managed to get away from his opponent once, and stood a ways apart from him.

"I see how it is," Sasuke said as he tried to reclaim his breath. "Somehow you're drawing out my chakra." He wobbled into a ready positing, and tried to think of a way to defeat the stamina draining effects of the technique. But his opponent didn't give him a chance to think, attacking quickly with his glowing hand, keeping Sasuke on a retreating defensive. He could only withstand a few more sustained grabs before he would be completely out of energy.

Even as Sasuke was fighting Naruto noticed a few things. Yoroi attacked more with his right hand than he did with his other hand or feet. And while it seems like a good idea with a draining skill, there were drawbacks as well. If Sasuke could get past Yoroi's hand he might be able to get in one attack before he could react. With Sasuke he only needed one good attack. Naruto saw the look on Sasuke's face change for an instant and then he became more determined.

"He's got it," Naruto said. "Sasuke's going to win." Sakura looked at Naruto wondering what he meant before quickly looking back at the fight. Though he didn't notice, a few other people looked at him as well, mostly teachers, but it didn't last long as they looked at the fight wondering if Naruto saw the same thing they did.

Then suddenly it came. Sasuke performed an unexpected attack, it was an attack that a few people recognized as not Sasuke's. Sasuke had attacked with a back slide towards Yoroi, at the last instant, he kicked straight up into Yoroi's jaw, sending him flying into the air. Sasuke lowered himself and then pushed off following after the stunned Yoroi. He appeared just behind the Nin and grinned at the knowledge that he was about to win.

Unfortunately it was at that moment that the cursed seal activated on his neck and started to spread. Black curling tear drops started growing along his skin, spreading out from the central spot on his neck. Those that saw were shocked to see it. Those that knew what it was readied themselves to stop the fight. The ones who didn't know what it was just watched in amazement. Naruto watched, he could sense the tainted chakra that Sasuke was giving off and was repulsed by it. Kasei crouched and growled, recognizing the feeling as evil and wanting nothing to do with it. Kakashi took an instant to look at the small fox, he decided to find out what happened in the forest as soon as he could, he looked back as Sasuke and was about to jump in when the marks stopped moving across Sasuke's skin.

A look of pain, and possibly anger appeared on Sasuke's face. He did not like the idea of this mark on his body controlling him. He gritted his teeth and concentrated, after a second his eyes shot open and the mark stopped moving. It reversed its track and returned the original spot. With his mind free once again he attacked his opponent, his mental struggle had drained him of his precious reserves, and he only had the chance for one final attack. He spun himself and tried to kick Yoroi in the side but he was blocked. In an instant he had reversed direction and landed a hard back hand hit to Yoroi's face. As they started to fall Sasuke kept attacking, punching Yoroi in the gut before one final spin. As they landed Sasuke increased the damage one last time by kicking his opponent in the gut just as he hit the ground.

The final impact had also hurt Sasuke and knocked him away from Yoroi. As Sasuke tried to get up the examiner stepped up to the other and knelt down next to him. He stood up and smiled a little as Sasuke wiped blood off his cheek.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke," and the first match was over. As Sasuke relaxed, he found himself dizzy for a moment and started to fall back, only to be caught by Kakashi.

Medic ninja came into the room to check the two contestants and determine if medical care was needed for either and to remove them from the battle area if it was. Naruto didn't hear what Kakashi said but he saw him wave off the medic and leave with Sasuke. Sasuke didn't seem pleased with this, but Kakashi didn't give him any choice in the matter.

Naruto turned away from the edge of the balcony and walked over to the wall. He sat down and settled back. The fox walked over and lay down next to him, setting his head down in Naruto's lap. Naruto scratched his head and closed his eyes.

"Kasei," the fox's ears perked up a little but other than that it didn't move at all. "Wake me when it's my turn, or when it is Gaara's battle." Kasei gave a little yip that indicated he would. Naruto settled down and relaxed, sinking into his mind.

The difference was immediately apparent to Naruto. Kyuubi was gone, or so it appeared. It took Naruto a few moments to figure out exactly what he was looking at. There was no cage, instead there was a massive wall made of stone. Naruto walked up to the wall and put his hand against it. It felt different, wrong, not natural at all.

"So," he thought. "That is what that freak did. He completely blocked off my connection to Kyuubi… But how did he do it?" Naruto contemplated the wall and walked back and forth in front of it. "Well, this is my mind. I can do what I want here." Having said that he closed his eyes and opened his mind, trying to will the wall away. He opened his eyes but the wall was still there. "Okay, different tactic." Weapons appeared in the air, willed into existence by the power of his mind, the launched themselves at the barrier. Every single last one of them bounced off the wall, leaving not even a scratch. He continued for a while, trying various methods and ideas trying to remove the seal.

"Crap, it looks like I can't break through it from here. I'll have to do it from out there… But I don't even know how he did it. How the hell am I supposed to undo it?" His musings were interrupted as he felt something start gnawing on his hand back in the real world.

* * *

Ghost Wolf: "So you're going to end it with gnawing and licking?"

Quote the Speechless: "I think you missed the point there."

Ghost Wolf: "No I just think it's funny."

Quote the Speechless: "Well the most exciting fights arn't coming up until the next chapter."

Ghost Wolf: "Any chance we get to see Naruto kick some BUTT with these new powers?"

Quote the Speechless: "You'll just have to wait and see."

Ghost Wolf: "Asshole."


	15. Dog Fight

Quote the Speechless: "Well I'm finally back folks, back to my adoring fans and so forth."

Ghost Wolf: "...If you still have fans. When was the last time you updated this story again?"

Quote the Speechless: Checks the date. "I believe it was five months ago roughly." Looking out at the world. "I'm sure I've got a few left."

Ghost Wolf: "We'll see. Anyway... This is the Kiba/ Naruto fight chapter. I hope it was worth the wait."

Quote the Speechless: "Well I guess you'll find out. I just want to take a moment to explain why I've been away for so long." Takes a deep breath. "My Beta reader joined the Coast Guard and was sent to Alaska, and she's the only one I really trust to proof my stuff."

Ghost Wolf: "Well at least she's keeping busy. I think we've wasted enough time of the few readers you still have."

Quote the Speechless: "Yep, alright, on with the story." Waves what readers remain on to the rest of the story.

* * *

Legal Stuff: Don't own Naruto. Never will.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Dog Fight**

Naruto's eyes opened and he smiled. Reaching over, he patted Kasei on the head. Kasei realized he was awake and let Naruto remove his hand from the fox's mouth. Naruto stood up and brushed himself off, he was in no hurry. He looked around and saw that Kakashi had returned at some point during his meditation.

"Stay here Kasei, just watch." The fox nodded and sat down by the balcony, watching through the bars. Naruto walked to the edge of the balcony and jumped down to the arena, walking towards the center.

"What were you doing Naruto?" Kiba called to him. "I thought I saw you taking a nap, you really that exhausted?" The tone of Kiba's inquiry indicated he really didn't care one way or the other. Naruto just smirked.

"If you ask me, you're the one that could do with some beauty sleep, dog face," Naruto called back. "Get your mutt out of the ring. This is no place for pets."

"He isn't my pet, he's my partner." Kiba looked up at the fox watching them. "Get your new friend down here. If he knows anything, he might actually make this fight interesting."

"No," there was a small yawn that followed. "I can take care of you myself," Naruto smirked. "Both of you as well for that matter."

"Enough," the referee said. "If you are both ready..." They each nodded. "Then, BEGIN!"

Kiba didn't waste any time, crouching down and activating a technique. "_Shikakyu no Jutsu,_ (Quadruped Technique)." Kiba settled down onto all fours. His nature became more bestial than he already was. Claws, fangs, even how he moved. An instant later he was gone and charging Naruto. The clawed strike hit Naruto right in the center of his breastplate, and with such force that he ended up skidding back several feet from the force of the blow.

Well… that's what would have happened, if it had connected. Instead, Naruto reached out at the last second, grabbing Kiba's wrist and pulling it to the side, so that the strike passed harmlessly by.

"Too slow," was all Kiba heard just before the metal-capped toe of Naruto's right shoe kicked him in the gut. Naruto was a little surprised. The jacket that Kiba was wearing had the same feel to it as his first one from Kibou. The kick didn't hit as hard as it normally would have because of the armor sewn into the coat. Kiba recovered quickly. He pulled out of Naruto's hold and jumped back to his dog, Akamaru.

"So, it looks like you picked up some new tricks." Kiba reached into his pocket and pulled something out, hidden in a clenched fist. "Let's see you try two on one." He nodded to Akamaru and together they charged Naruto. When they were just in front of him, Kiba threw a smoke bomb at Naruto's feet. It exploded and blinded Naruto.

Naruto didn't have much time to react from the explosion before Kiba would reach him and attack. So he tried to run out of the smoke to see where his opponent was. But that was Akamaru's cue to join the battle. As soon as Naruto was out of the smoke, the small dog launched himself at Naruto, jaws open and ready to take a bite out of the startled boy.

Naruto brought his arm up to protect his face and ended up saving himself from any damage at all. The dog bit the armored forearm bracers and only managed to scratch the armor with his teeth, but he held on anyway.

"Get off you stupid dog," Naruto shouted and whipped his arm out. Akamaru couldn't hold on any more and was flung away from Naruto and into a wall.

"Akamaru is no stupid dog," Kiba shouted. Apparently, Naruto had hit a nerve with that last comment. Kiba reached into his equipment pouch and pulled out a small item. With a single motion, he flicked a pill to his dog. Akamaru caught it in his mouth and chomped down. Immediately, his fur started to shift from tan to red and he jumped up onto Kiba's back.

"No more playing around," Kiba shouted as he once again performed the body-altering technique on himself. As he became more beastlike, Akamaru barked and changed as well, turning into a more human like form. In fact, they looked identical, save for the expressions on their faces. Kiba was grinning, believing his victory to be assured. Akamaru didn't seem used to a human face and was mostly expressionless.

Together, Akamaru and Kiba rushed Naruto. Naruto figured it was time to fight numbers with higher numbers. A few hand seals and a burst of chakra later...

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Suddenly there were four Naruto instead of merely the one. They paired off against Kiba and Akamaru, who hadn't expect him to use the technique so quickly. But Kiba wasn't down yet.

"Now, Akamaru!" Kiba called out and began to spin as he launched himself forward. Akamaru mimicked him. "Gatuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!" Caught unprepared, the three Naruto clones were destroyed, and the real Naruto was knocked back against a wall.

Naruto tried to figure out how to combat two spinning enemies as one of them came hurtling towards him. He jumped out of the way as inspiration caught him. He started doing hand seals while dodging the attacks. Naruto had to restart twice because he was interrupted, but on the third try he succeeded. He called out his own surprise technique, one he hadn't used in a long time and never in battle.

"_Hinote inju_ (Fire Ribbons)!" Two ribbons of fire extended from his hands as he dodged a dual attack from both twirling adversaries. He kept the ribbons loose and dropped one end of each into the spinning forms.

In an instant, the ribbons wrapped around both Kiba and Akamaru. Both stopped spinning and it was apparent why, they were on fire. Kiba's coat, pants, even his hair were in flame and he swatted at himself in an attempt to quench the fire. Akamaru was worse off. When the fire had initially touched him, he had transformed back into a dog to escape the fire, but had only managed to brush his fur against the ribbons. As a result, his fur had burst into flames. He rolled on the floor to put it out, but it was obvious that he would not escape without some serious burns.

Kiba managed to put out his hair and pants while he had taken off his jacket and rushed over to Akamaru's side to see how bad the injuries were.

"Give up, Kiba," Naruto said as he looked down at his classmate kneeling over the injured dog. "You can get him treatment that way." Kiba looked up sharply at Naruto but saw the look of sorrow on Naruto's face. Naruto backed away. That angry glare reminded him of so many glares that he had received from the people while he walked though Konoha. It was only after Kiba's look softened that Naruto dared approach.

"I give up," Kiba mumbled before saying it again louder. "I give up! Please, a Medic for Akamaru." Medic ninja were already coming out to check both Naruto and Kiba. One Nin went over to Akamaru and started to treat the burns. When the medic started to remove Akamaru, Kiba insisted on going with him.

Naruto was approached by a hesitant medic but he brushed the woman off and walked past her to the stairs. He would never let anyone he didn't trust come near him. When he reached the observation balcony, he realized everybody was looking at him. It made him feel profoundly uncomfortable. Naruto looked down and refused to meet anyone's eyes.

Sakura was amazed. As usual, Naruto had pulled out another technique out of nowhere and won a battle that no one expected him to win. But it wasn't just Naruto that had amazed her. The fox that Naruto had brought with him had hardly moved at all during the match, but sat and watched though the bars of the banister. It never made a sound, only twitching its tail every once in a while. When the battle was over, and Naruto had returned to the balcony, the fox got up and walked over to him, rubbing against Naruto's legs until he reached down and scratched the fox's ears.

Naruto was happy to have Kasei there to comfort him, to remind him that he wasn't alone. He looked up from the fox and looked at where Sakura was standing. The look that he saw on her face was not an endearing one. The look she gave him made it obvious to him that she still didn't trust him, and that hurt him. He then noticed someone walking towards him.

Hinata had watched Naruto during the battle and was reminded of what her father had told her that day so long ago, 'He is stronger than people give him credit for. He will make quite a name for himself in the future.' Now she believed that she understood what her father had been talking about. The fact that her father had, in a way, vouched for this boy made it no easier for her to approach him. She bowed and held out a small container in her hands.

"O… Ointment…" she muttered. "For your b… bruises." Nothing happened and she looked up to see Naruto watching her. It was her turn to feel very uncomfortable. She blushed under the boy's silent inspection. Kurenai, Hinata's instructor, was about to tell Naruto to take the container of ointment, but it wasn't necessary. Naruto reached out and took it carefully in one hand.

"Thank you," Naruto knew that he didn't need it. In a few minutes the bruises would be healed. But he knew that it was important to hide his healing ability. Hinata bowed and hurried off to give some more of her ointment to Kiba.

Naruto walked over to where he had been before the match and sat down. He opened the container and let Kasei sniff it. The fox sneezed, but seemed to indicate that it was alright and safe. Naruto started to apply it to some of the more extreme bruises. He was a little surprised when the aches disappeared as he rubbed the lotion into them. This was very good stuff.

The next names were called out and Naruto looked up at the board where the names were listed. It was Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto had heard a lot about the fighting style of the Hyuuga from both Kibou and Keito. They told him that it was one of the single strongest fighting styles that existed in Leaf. This would be a perfect chance to see it in action.

"Kasei," the fox looked at him. "Watch them, this should be interesting." The fox sat down next to Naruto and looked out between the bars, taking a position much like the one he had used when he was watching Naruto's fight.

A few moments before the referee started the fight, Neji, the older of the two, tried to psych out Hinata. Naruto watched as he attacked her as being unfit for the Main House, which looked like it hurt her a great deal. Next, he attacked her willingness to actually fight him, coupled with an attack on her physical shortcomings almost broke her to the point of giving up then and there.

Naruto just watched. He said nothing until Neji came to his final verbal attack. He berated Hinata for her inability to use the family Blood Line and said that her future was set. It was his announcement that destiny could not be changed that set Naruto off. Naruto clenched at the supports to the railing so hard that one of them started to collapse under the pressure of his fist.

"THAT IS A LOAD OF SHIT!" he declared much more loudly then he had intended. "There is no set future, there is no destiny and no fate. We make our own paths through life with the power that we have. Hinata has the same right to victory that you have, but you're not going to see that if you keep jabbering on." Naruto looked directly at Hinata. "Show him, Hinata, prove to him that you have the power in you to change the future he believes so strongly in."

Hinata saw the anger at Neji in Naruto's eyes. Along with his words, they spurred her into action. Her resolve hardened and she got into a low fighting stance, arms wide, her eyes and Blood Limit focused directly on Neji with as much determination as she could muster.

Naruto smiled and released his death grip on the supports. Sakura looked at Naruto. She wondered why Naruto had exploded like that. Did he have a grudge against Neji? Or maybe it was something that the other boy had said? Kakashi, on the other hand, had seen the other reactions that Naruto had let slip when he had gotten angry. The tips of his hair had turned red and his ears had become more pointed for the briefest of instants. Was the fox affecting him more then he knew? If the change was coming about due to anger… He would have to talk with Naruto about this when they had a moment to spare.

Down on the arena floor, the referee signaled the start of the fight. The opening moves were stunning to watch. These two people had been training from a very young age. From long before they were going to enter the academy, they had studied their style to the fullest of their ability. Because of this, their skill appeared to be near equal. A flurry of blows deflected or blocked by each of them. It appeared as though two white cranes danced and battled together down on the floor. But there was a great deal of hostility between the two.

Neji struck out against Hinata in anger. His blows were slightly more damaging then hers because he did not try and hold back. Hinata fought against her cousin to prove to herself and to others that she was not useless. But in truth she didn't really want to hurt him, so her blows were restrained. She moved to just defeat which put her at a disadvantage to Neji.

The end of the battle was startling to all of the spectators. For a moment, it appeared that Hinata had managed to slip through Neji's guard and get in a good solid hit that would put her on an even standing with her cousin. But at the same moment Neji's guard had been down, he lashed out with both hands and attacked vital pressure points on Hinata's body.

The first pressure point was to the inside of her arm, near the shoulder. It halted the motion of her arm and stopped the chakra flow down it that was integral to the fighting style they both used. The second pressure point was truly sinister. Two fingers of his right hand jabbed hard right below her collarbone dealing a harsh blow directly to her heart. They held their positions, neither one moving.

Hinata tried to remain standing. But she could feel the damage to her body. The metallic taste of blood welled up from her throat and into her mouth. A moment later, she fell to her knees and was vomited blood all over the arena floor. Neji turned from her and started to walk away, confident that the fight was over.

From her position on the floor, Hinata looked up at the one person that had given her the confidence to continue on with the fight. She saw Naruto looking directly at her. She was gladdened when she saw him nod to her. 'You did well,' he mouthed to her. She smiled and let herself get carried off, without a fight, by the medic ninja for immediate critical care. Privately, Naruto vowed to make Neji eat those words that had gotten under his skin so completely.

"Winner, Neji." Though the announcement was completely unnecessary, it was part of the referee's duties. There were only four people left to take the two final positions for the tournament. Choji and Rock Lee were the two remaining for Leaf. Dosu from Sound waited impatiently for his turn. And then there was Gaara of the Sand.

Naruto turned to get a look at Gaara but saw that he was gone. He looked around, wondering where the ninja could have gotten to. He was surprised to see a moment later that Gaara had walked down to the central arena and waited impatiently for his opponent to come down and prepare for battle. Naruto looked over at the screen that displayed the named and cursed. Rock Lee. Naruto had hoped that it would be Dosu against Gaara so he wouldn't have to worry about what might happen. Or Choji, who he knew would give up rather then fight someone as scary looking as Gaara. But no, it was Rock Lee and Naruto knew that the fight would not end well.

Lee was so eager to start the fight that he didn't use the stairs. Instead, he jumped up to the railing and then down to the arena, landing right across from Gaara, ready to fight.

"Naruto," Sakura sounded nervous as she looked down at the two. "Is he really as strong as you said?"

"If he's my Missing Brother," Kakashi's head jerked and he stared at first Naruto and then at Gaara. "Then yes, and more."

"Your missing brother," Kakashi's voice was calm. "You're sure?" He sounded slightly hopeful, waiting to hear that Naruto wasn't so sure.

"Yep," Kakashi's hope sank.

"We really need to work on your communication skills, Naruto," Kakashi said with a sigh. "I really wish you had told me about this sooner."

"Whoops," was Naruto's only reply as the battle started.

Sand poured out from the gourd on Gaara's back. It swirled and moved around Gaara like an ill wind. With his arms crossed, seemingly defenseless, he waited. Lee got into the same fighting stance that Naruto had seen him use against Sasuke. A moment later, Lee was charging. A flying kick aimed at Gaara's head was suddenly halted by a wall of sand that had surged up to block the kick.

Lee's kick bounced off the sand and he started to fall but recovered quickly and landed on his feet. He gave a moment's pause to take a look at the sand and wonder at it. Unfortunately, a moment was all that was needed for the sand to gather together in front of Gaara and rise up like a crashing wave to smother Lee.

Lee back flipped out of the immediate range of the attack and readied himself. This was going to be harder than he had originally thought. However, Lee saw no reason to pull back his attack and indeed had no other way to attack the calm red headed boy. However the sand did not appear as calm as Gaara. It lashed out against him in the form of a whip, trying to attach itself to his arm or leg.

Lee dodged to the side, pulling out two shuriken and throwing them at his opponent. Gaara did not so much as flinch as his sand moved to intercept the projectiles. Now roughly 30 feet away, Lee paused in a ready stance. He dared not make a direct attack as there was sand spilled out on the floor between the two of them and there was no guessing as to how it would move if he should try to attack in such a straightforward method.

"He'll never win like that," Sakura admonished in a worried tone. "He should back off, attack from a distance with ninjutsu." She looked up at Kakashi to see if he had an explanation for why Lee had not done so but it was Lee's teacher, Gai that responded.

"Lee can't use ninjutsu." He replied with a slight smile on his face as he intently watched the battle on the lower level. "When I first met him he had almost no skill at all. Even now he doesn't have any ability with ninjutsu or genjutsu." He didn't seem at all troubled as he watched Lee dodging the attacks from Gaara's sand. "The only skill he has is hand to hand combat, taijutsu. That is why he can win."

Naruto listened to what the man said with only half of his mind. The rest was focused on the battle. When he heard the teacher's boast that Lee would win, he could not hold back a scoffing laugh.

Lee did a series of back flips out of danger's path as hands of sand reached up from the floor and tried to grasp him. He made a tremendous jump and landed on a sculpted set of hands in the form of the Tiger Seal. Gaara watched him and pulled his sand back around his body as he waited for Lee to come down.

"LEE!" Gai shouted, making all around him except for Kakashi flinch from the volume. "TAKE OFF THE WEIGHTS!" Everyone, including Lee, seemed a bit surprised by this statement. The boy was wearing weights as he fought, even when the stakes were so high?

"But… Gai Sensei, You said I am only to do that when I must protect many precious people!" Lee called back, perhaps a little hesitant to give away his ace.

"It's alright!" Gai shouted, giving his student thumbs up. "This is a special situation!" Lee looked confused for a moment and then gave a large smile and laughed a little. He sat down on his perch and pulled off his leg warmers. Once removed, the spectators could see that two bands of weights had been attached around the ankles.

Sakura took a moment to glance over at Naruto. She remembered how things had changed that first day as a team long ago when they had faced off against Kakashi. Naruto had removed his weighted Jacket and increased his power and speed. Would the same thing happen here? When she looked back at Lee, he was standing with the weights in each hand, apparently ready to return to the fight.

Lee just smiled and dropped the ankle weights off each side of the statue. "OK! I'm ready for a real fight now." No one expected the weights to make such a tremendous racket when they hit the floor. It seemed as if two boulders had been dropped instead of two small sets of weights. In a flash, Lee was off the statue and running along the ceiling. He left footprints stamped into the ceiling.

Gaara was shocked by the change of the boy's speed. So was everyone else except Gai. Lee was behind Gaara and threw a punch almost before the sand could block it. Even though the attack was blocked, the proximity to the red head's cheek startled everyone. The following strikes were even closer. A kick breached the sand by Gaara's shoulder, but without enough force to actually reach the body. Next, a punch flew by Gaara's leg with the same result.

Gai started to explain, but Naruto wasn't paying any attention at all. Was it actually possible for Lee to beat him? Naruto shook his head, breaking off any more thoughts of that nature. "No," he muttered to himself. "Gaara will not lose." However, his resolve was shaken when Lee feigned behind Gaara and the sand started to move to block the strike that did not come. Lee flipped over Gaara and delivered a drop kick to the red head's face that ACTUALY CONNECTED! And though it did not seem to do much in the way of damage, the mark was there.

Kakashi took note of Naruto's intent expression and continued to watch the match. The next strike was the same as the last, a feint in one direction to draw the sand away and then a attack to the opposite side. A powerful punch landed directly on Gaara's cheek and sent him flying. Only the sand saved him from a hard fall.

Naruto felt something and shivered. "This is not over," he warned and indeed Gaara was getting up. He turned to look at Lee and his expression shocked everyone. The boy who had been so calm throughout the entire test to this point was not so calm anymore. His face split open into an awful silent laugh that shook Lee to his core. Even more disturbing, a layer of sand started breaking away from his face. It revealed a cheek completely unmarked by Lee's attacks. The two blows that Lee had landed proved to be nothing more then scratches on armor. "Told you," Naruto muttered without looking up.

The sand started to swarm over Gaara's body, replacing the sand that had been broken off and reinforcing it around his body. As the sand poured over his face, his look of calm returned save for his eyes, which gave off a look of hunger. Hunger perhaps for battle, perhaps for something else. "Is that all you have?" Gaara said in a dull, flat tone.

Lee took a long moment as he watched the sand move around the Sand Ninja. Running the various options through his head, he knew he had to remove the armor from the equation. The only thing he could think of was for a single incredibly powerful strike that would break through the armor and harm the person underneath at the same time. He looked up at his teacher to get confirmation and received a nod in return that he took as permission to use the technique.

Naruto watched as Lee started to remove the bandages from his arms, stopping when they reached down to the floor. Then, with a blur of motion, he ran around Gaara, kicking up dust and breaking stones under the force of his pounding feet. Gaara's sand stayed in constant motion around his body, not leaving much in the way of openings for Lee to attack.

At last, Lee saw his chance. He attacked the same way as he had done against Sasuke before the first test. Sliding in close to the ground, he delivered a hard kick to the chin meant to drive his opponent flying into the air for the followup attack. However, due to the layers of compact sand and the heavy gourd on his back, Gaara needed more then a single kick to get him high enough. Gaara guarded his face against the kicks as they came. Kick after kick, each sending him higher and faster until there was sufficient height and speed for the next part of Lee's attack.

Naruto watched with interest as it seemed to him that the strain put on Lee's body was causing him a great deal of pain. Lee flinched and didn't notice when Gaara vacated the armor of sand. The Dynamic motion of the now empty vessel changed slightly but not enough for Lee to notice. Lee appeared behind the Gaara look-alike and wrapped the bandages from his arm tightly around what he thought was the Sand Ninja. Spinning at high velocity, the duo arched through the air until Lee guided the replica down onto the hard arena floor. Dodging away at the last moment, Lee landed and slumped slightly, relaxing a little as he waited for the dust to clear and show the damage done to the red headed boy.

"You were Wrong, Naruto," Sakura declared triumphantly, pointing at her team mate. "You said none of us could beat Gaara, but Lee has done it."

"It's not over," Naruto said watching the arena below. Kasei watched as well, his eyes glowing slightly as the dust cleared from the Arena floor.

* * *

Quote the Speechless: "Ah Cliffies, how I love thee."

Ghost Wolf: He throws a pillow at Quote. "That is the most evil cliffhanger yet. In the middle of a damned fight? Just when it was getting good too!"

Quote the Speechless: Laughs as the pillow smacks him in the head. "You know I can't resist doing stuff like this. It's my evil sadistic way to get people to come back for more!"

Ghost Wolf: "Or drive even more away... You are a sadistic writer, but it could be worse."

Quote the Speechless: "Oh? Do tell." Takes out note pad and readies a sharpened pencil.

Ghost Wolf: "No, I'm just going to say I can't wait to see whether or not Lee or Gaara win in the next chapter. Speaking of characters, when will we get to see Kibou and his wife again?"

Quote the Speechless: "In time, in time." Puts the pad and pencil away but keeps plotting. "Hope you all enjoyed this. I'll be seeing you."

Ghost Wolf: "Not likely in three weeks like you hoped though..." He whacks him in the back of the head with a BIG hardcover Naruto art book.

Quote the Speechless: "Oww..." Rubbing his head. "Probably not. But I can try."

Ghost Wolf: "We'll see. Later all."


	16. Sealed

Ghost Wolf: "Nine months? What? Were you having a baby or something?"

Quote the Speechless: "You've figured me out." He sighs and turns to show pregnant belly.

Ghost Wolf: He pulls needle and pops the balloon. "You are such an ass. At least you've proven you aren't dead or had given up."

Quote the Speechless: "I never give up." Takes out the popped balloon and throws it away. "I take time off because I don't want the stress of school to affect my writing."

Ghost Wolf: "Well I'm just saying since I've seen your latest reviews. Anyway. We get to see the end of the fight finally."

Quote the Speechless: "Yes, the end of the fight and more. But we'll leave that to be seen, won't we?"

Ghost Wolf: "Yes... Now get back to writing!" Throws a book at him.

Quote the Speechless: "I've already chained myself to my computer. I'm going to keep writing." Showing the chains.

Ghost Wolf: "Good boy." Pats head and turns to the readers. "On with the story folks."

* * *

Legal Stuff: Nope, still don't own any of Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Sealed**

Sakura turned back to the arena as the last of the dust cleared. Rather than seeing a defeated Gaara she saw only a crumbling shell. She choked back a scream at seeing the eerie sight, covering her mouth as the sand just behind lee started to rise and pull away from the real form of Gaara. With a motion sand flew around him and struck Lee fully in the chest, slamming him back against the wall.

Gaara's hands moved back and forth and the sand moved under his command slamming again and again against Lee. It was all Lee could do to block the hardest hits from the torrent of sand. It was obvious to just about everyone that Lee was hurting but not only because of the sand. He was still in a great deal of pain from the attacks he had made that harmed his own body.

"The Lotus Technique is a double edged sword," Gai said. Kakashi baked up his statement by explaining how the speed put a high amount of stress on the body and caused it to tear and break the muscles. Naruto only listened with half an ear as he continued to watch the battle. He could feel the bloodlust radiating off of Gaara and it worried him. He didn't really know Lee all that well but he would still prefer that the ninja didn't die; he was a ninja of Leaf Village after all.

Lee was rolling and doing summersaults, basic movements for a normal person and subpar for all the people watching from the upper levels. It continued for a minute or two. Dodging and only barely missing waves of sand and harsh hard streams that could batter him against the wall if they struck him. It crossed Naruto's mind more than once that the battle would be over if he was hit even one more time but the battle continued.

However though hard for some to watch Lee's teacher smiled down at lee and with the smallest of nods when Lee looked up the boy took off again, his speed renewed. Naruto wondered where the new speed had come from and looked up at Gai for an explanation. "The Lotus of the Leaf blooms twice." To which Naruto rolled his eyes and focused back on the battle. Naruto looked up once more then Kakashi responded to Gai's statement. He seemed angry, or at least a bit upset, more at Gai for teaching the technique than anything else.

Naruto listened to them talk about the Inner Gates. He understood that the gates were limiters put on the body by evolution to stop the body from destroying itself with its own actual strength. Somehow the technique opened the gates and allowed the body to fully utilize the potential of its muscles and adrenaline and other functions. Naruto wondered if anything was happening to his own gates as his body was going through the changes that he accepted when he gained more of Kyuubi's Chakra. Was he getting more or destroying the ones he had or were they cutting him off or letting more of his body's true potential come though? None of these questions he could answer and he wished that Kyuubi was able to talk with him so he could actually know what was happening.

As Naruto pondered these things Lee was releasing the gates. When he was up to the Third Gate blood was rushing though his body at high speed causing his skin to turn red. Everyone could feel the powerful chakra gathered around his body and everyone was impressed or in awe of the difference, except perhaps Gaara who had to focus on how to beat an adversary who was back to the physical peak and beyond.

When the Fourth Gate opened Lee's veins were throbbing and his blood pressure was through the roof, he never paused to think about his own health concerns because it was time to take out Gaara. The stone tiles exploded under his feet with the force he kicked off with. The entire room shook and many people had to shield their eyes from debris that was exploding up from the floor of the arena. No one saw the blow connect but Gaara was flying through the air, cracks running though the armor all over his body. There was a blur and then an explosion that sent Gaara heading in another direction. It happened again and again. Lee was moving so fast he could hit him and then race to where he was going before he landed to strike him again.

Naruto watched as bits of Gaara's armor fell and broke. The force from Lee's consecutive blows was practically ripping the armor off and kept Gaara moving too fast for his other sand to catch up and replenish it. Naruto wondered what it must feel like to have your body breaking apart, ripping it's self to shreds inside. Lee must be in an incredible amount of pain and would require a long stay in the hospital once this battle was over that was for sure.

Even in mid air there was another burst of Chakra as Lee opened the Fifth Gate. Gaara tried to defend himself with his arms but it did no good. Lee blasted in under his guard and delivered a powerful punch to Gaara's middle sending him flying down. However that was not the end. Lee had slipped the end of his bandages under Gaara's sand and once he had flown away about thirty feet Lee pulled hard, halting Gaara's movement down abruptly and hauling him back up towards himself. With an incredible double blow from foot and fist Lee's final attack struck.

Gaara flew towards the ground at tremendous speed. His shield of sand had no way to get to him before he would strike the floor. Naruto watched in fascinated horror. Could it be possible that the container for the One Tailed demon, his brother, who definitely had a higher synchronization than himself, could be beaten? His knuckles were white where he gripped the banister, waiting for the end of the battle to come. Others gasped when they saw that the boy's enormous gourd, that the sand had been stored in, shifted and then changed into its true form which was merely more sand. Naruto had to hold back a sigh of relief. He doubted that his teammate would see that as a good sign, rooting for the enemy or something like that.

Gaara's sand shifted and cushioned the landing on the ground to a great degree and definitely saved him from being knocked out and loosing the match. Lee fell to the ground about twenty feet away in obvious pain. He had no sand to soften to landing. As he staggered up the dust cloud around Gaara faded and he could be seen reaching out for Lee. Much faster than the injured ninja could react the sand rushed towards him in two streams killer intent obvious. However they halted only a few inches from the boy when a voice called out.

"GAARA! THAT'S ENOUGH!" For a moment everything was still, no one moved. Gaara was the first to shift, looking up at the balcony and into a set of red, slit eyes watching him. Naruto had changed, though not into his demonic form. He had reacted out of instinct to save the boy's life. His hair was bright red as were his eyes. His whisker marks were darker and thicker as well. The others turned to look at him, wondering what could have come over him to change him in such a fashion.

Lee made the mistake of trying to take the frozen moment to end the battle. Gaara's sand easily blocked him and then sent him flying into a wall. When the sand pulled away and back to Gaara, Lee fell away from the wall, obviously passed out but still alive. Gaara's sand gathered back around him and returned to its gourd form. The ninja referee called the battle in Gaara's favor. Naruto's reserve of Demonic chakra had been exhausted and his features returned to normal, he even appeared a little paler than usual though none commented on that fact. There was a subtle movement of the teams and Sakura herself away from Naruto's position. Only Kakashi didn't move away from him, possibly out of the curiosity of what would happen to him.

Gai, the teacher who had wanted Lee to win the battle so much that he let him use such dangerous techniques, jumped down from the balcony to where his student was passed out on the ground. Gaara got up and appeared totally uninjured though most were pretty sure there was a layer of sand hiding his injuries though none could be sure. There was a gasp from Tenten, Lee's teammate, and when he turned he saw that Lee was standing up again, even though he was out cold his will to battle still made his body move into a fighting stance. Medic ninjas rushed over to him, their first move was to lightly paralyze him so that he wouldn't resist their treatments. One of them, after inspecting the green clad ninja boy, walked over to Gai and had some whispered words with him. Though the others couldn't hear it the words apparently had a deep impact on the teacher.

Naruto was not watching the medics or anything else. His attention was focused on Gaara and vice versa. It was only after Gaara returned to his teammates that he took his eyes off Naruto. Once he was no longer being watched Naruto sighed and released the banister railing. He was feeling weak after using up his reserves of Demonic Chakra. He knew that it would return to him after a night's rest but all he really wanted was to open up the wall and talk to Kyuubi about what was going on. Kakashi came up behind him and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a low tone, watching Naruto from his uncovered eye. Naruto shook his head as he turned to look at his mentor.

"Not really, something's happened," he moved one hand down over his belly. "You and I need to talk sensei. Something's happened. My source has been... cut off. I can't reach it." He looked at Kakashi to make sure that he understood. Kakashi frowned under his mask and a serious look came over his visible eye.

"I'll meet you at the hospital when this is done, I'll have people ready to give you a full Chakra check to see what's going on." Naruto smiled and nodded. He looked down at the arena floor to see that the last two had been called. Chouji and Dosu, the last of the Sound Genin. The battle was not a long one and Naruto didn't pay much attention to it, instead spending the time soothing Kasei who had been readily agitated by the end of the last battle and Naruto's use of Demonic Chakra.

For the moment Naruto just concentrated on gaining back some composure and stability after the use of his entire demonic aura. He wondered coolly if this was what a drug addict felt like after coming off the narcotic cold turkey without any warning at all as to what the results would be. He doubted that Kyuubi knew that this would happen or at least didn't think that the chances of something like this happening were so low that they didn't need mentioning. However he probably didn't see them getting completely separated either.

Naruto was feeling quite ill though he tried not to show it. A headache was building just between his eyes and it was steadily growing larger. He closed his eyes to try and control the urges to vomit and pass out and while his eyes were closed the battle ended with Dosu as the winner. Once that was called as the final result all the winners were called down to the arena floor where they lined up in front of the Hokage.

The Hokage explained that they were given a month to prepare for the final stage of the test the reasons were three fold. The first was to allow them to recover from the battles that they had been through so far. The second was to allow time for the important delegates to arrive and get settled to watch the event. And the third was to provide time for them to come up with strategy against the available opponents.

They drew numbers from a box to determine the parings and order of the battles. The pairings were as follows: Naruto vs. Neji, Gaara vs. Sasuke, Kankuro vs. Shino, and Temari vs. the winner of the bout between Shikamaru and Dosu.

It was also revealed that it was not the tournament that decided who would become a Chuunin but that the fights would be evaluated and weighed and then a ruling would come after as to who had the skill to become a Chuunin.

Naruto wasn't really paying much attention at this point. He was holding Kasei in his arms and trying to concentrate on remaining upright. The headache was almost blinding at this point though he sensed that it was starting to ebb away. He pondered for a moment at what point it stopped being a headache and turned into a migraine. But the thought made his head throb so he pushed it away.

Sakura watched above and was honestly glad that she was not involved in the final stage of this test. There were such scary competitors that they made her shiver. The sand ninja, especially Gaara, Neji and his pressure point torture, Naruto's secrets and hidden strength, even Sasuke scared her if she had to battle him. She could wait until the next time, she told herself.

When they were all dismissed they were informed that a Chuunin Squad would escort them out of the Forest of Death so that they would not come to further harm. It was a little while later that they arrived at the outer edge of the forest and were released to do whatever they wanted. Sakura grabbed Ino's arm to walk with her and talk about something though she did not elaborate while in proximity to Naruto.

Naruto on the other hand started off for the hospital where he would get his check up and possibly get his trouble remedied. Kasei followed after him in a playful bounding manner like a puppy or kitten.

Naruto met up with Kakashi just inside the hospital door. He was in a waiting room chair reading his perverted book and giggling occasionally. The other patients waiting had left an undisturbed area around him. Either because they recognized the book or they were worried about what might come from a ninja who giggled all the time.

Naruto walked up and waited for Kakashi to put his book down. When he didn't he made a motion and Kasei jumped up and snapped the book away with his jaws. Kakashi took a moment to respond and then looked up at Naruto. "Oh, there you are what kept you?"

Naruto ignored the question. "Can we get this exam thing over with?" He muttered and started walking back towards the exam room areas.

"Sure thing, but two things first. One, I need to know exactly what happened out in the forest. Both because of what happened to Sasuke and because of what happened to you." With only a minor hesitation Naruto told Kakashi all about the fight with the Snake summon and the man who summoned it.

"Just before he hit me he mentioned something about a seal, though it sounded like his attack." He rubbed a hand over his belly while he looked down at Kasei who was idly chewing on the Jounin's novel.

"I believe his name is Orochimaru," Kakashi supplied. "He's an incredibly powerful ninja, He's the only one who could have both given the Cursed Mark on Sasuke's neck and altered your seal in such a way."

"Well who can undo it?" Naruto sounded hopeful at the prospect of talking with the Kyuubi again soon. Kakashi didn't appear as happy however.

"That might be a little difficult," he looked at Naruto's stern frown. "Don't look at me like that. There are few ninja of that power and skill that are around currently. I'll speak with the Hokage. Maybe he will be able to undo it but don't get your hopes up. The Hokage has to worry about politics and I refuse to get involved in something as crazy as politics." Naruto sighed and looked up at his teacher.

"Well what use will this examination be then?" He suppressed a yawn.

"Well it's very important to monitor any changes in the Kyuubi's seal. Especially if it could be changed by someone as cunning as Orochimaru," Naruto wondered what was it about this man that had Kakashi worried.

"Alright I get it," he sighed. "Let's get this over with then." Kakashi smiled and guided him down towards the exam room with Kasei following behind, book in mouth. Kakashi led Naruto into a room where two doctors were fussing over some charts. They ignored, or perhaps didn't even hear when they entered or when Kakashi cleared his throat. But they definitely heard when Naruto sat down on the examination table. Kasei dropped the slobber covered novel on the floor and jumped up next to Naruto a worried yip was placated by a scratch under the chin.

The male doctor introduced himself as Hakushi and the woman as Kangoshi. They started by instructing Naruto to remove his jacket and shirt and indicate where it was causing him trouble. He indicated his belly and they looked at it.

Hakushi adjusted his spectacles and frowned saying that there was a lot of interference. Kangoshi pointed to the Amulet and Kasei and had him move both to the other side of the room where they would be far enough away that they don't mess with their examination. While Kangoshi got out what appeared to be a series of acupuncture needles Hakushi poked and prodded at Naruto's belly area. It felt odd and Naruto was sure that the man was using Chakra but it didn't hurt or seem to do anything else for that matter so he didn't object, they were supposed to be trying to help him out after all.

Kangoshi moved her hand Over Naruto's belly and occasionally tapped an acupuncture needle into his skin. Naruto watched as they made his belly into a pincushion. It didn't hurt but it was an odd experience to be sure. He looked over at Kasei and saw the small fox playing with his pendant. He wasn't very worried that Kasei would intentional break it but he did worry what might happen if there was an accident and the chakra contained within it went haywire.

"Kasei, stop messing with that," the kit looked up at him, yipped obediently, and sat back and watched.

Hakushi had started touching the ends of the needles in, what appeared to Naruto, to be random order. He frowned and mentioned some medical nonsense to Kangoshi who did the same things in return. Naruto let a hand fall off the table and let his mind wander while he let the doctors discuss whatever was wrong with him. There were three possible outcomes in his mind. The first and most hopeful was that they would find a way to undo whatever had been done, proceed to undo it and he would return to training. The second and less desirable outcome was that they would find out what was wrong but not be able to undo it, and then he would talk with Kakashi about the next step. The last and least desirable option was that they didn't find out what was wrong or how to undo it. If that was the case he would drop out of the Chuunin exam and immediately start heavy duty training, then find the snake bastard and beat him up until he gave up how to undo it.

But in any case it would have to wait for their diagnosis. After a few moment of his arm dangling off the table he felt a small furry head pushed up into it. He smiled and immediately started scratching softly along Kasei's head. The doctors had moved off and were writing things on the dry erase board in what was probably a medical form of short hand. Kasei let out a little, worried whine. Naruto smiled and pat the fox's head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." This seemed to placate the little demon for the moment.

The cool examination table had warmed slowly with Naruto's body heat till it was a comfortable temperature. The droning of the air conditioning unit somewhere down the hall and the monotonous scratching of Kasei's head all worked against Naruto's desire to remain awake. His eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep as the doctors continued to discuss his future a few feet away from him. Kasei jumped up onto the examination table and curled up beside Naruto's head and watched the doctors.

When Naruto awoke it was well into the night and he was alone in the examination room. His jacket and shirt had been placed over him to keep him warm and Kasei was asleep. Someone had placed his amulet in his hand. He put it on and the chain locked in place. Next he slipped his shirt on and then the jacket. Looking over at the board that the doctors had been using he saw it full of scrawl which made no sense to him. He shrugged and looked up at a clock on the wall. The time showed that it was three in the morning.

Naruto moved as if to lie back down but turned around sharply kunai in both hands when a soft tapping came from the window. He sighed and lowered the blades and put them away when he saw Kakashi was the one who had knocked on the window. Kasei stirred and rolled over exposing his soft white belly but remaining asleep. Naruto walked over and undid the lock on the window. He pushed them open and jumped a little out onto the tree outside his window. Kakashi was leaning against the trunk of the tree looking out at the sleeping village. Naruto joined him in this pastime for a few minutes of silence.

"I'm willing to guess that whatever is wrong it's not easy to deal with," Naruto broke the silence.

"Nope," was the only response, followed by more silence.

"Well?" a pregnant pause.

"Politics," Kakashi sighed when he saw Naruto's frown. "You've had a high level seal placed on top of your seal. Probably a Four or Five Part seal." Kakashi waved a hand towards the Hokage faces carved into the cliff face. "And the Hokage is the only person in the village with enough skill and power to do it in your unique case." Naruto let out a low whistle. "Indeed. And now this is where politics come into it. No Kage may interfere in the case of any single participant or team during one of these competitions, either directly or indirectly." Kakashi looked sidelong at Naruto with his good eye to see if the boy understood all that he had said. The frown indicated that he most likely had. "There is still one option..."

"Drop out of the Exam finals so he can heal me without violating any of the rules." Kakashi nodded and looked out over the city, a slight smile playing under his mask as he heard Naruto's many mumbled curses on the subject of politics. He waited as Naruto thought it over, a cool breeze passing over them. Naruto thought about it for a few minutes.

"Naw, not going to do it." Kakashi turned and looked at the boy with a smile. He had expected this. "Still too many asses to kick." Naruto started ticking off fingers as he listed names. "Neji, Gaara, Sasuke, that sound guy." Naruto shrugged and started walking along the branch towards his window. "I presume there is at least one person looking for people outside the village that wouldn't have politics in the way between themselves and getting my seal back to normal?" He paused at the window and waited for a reply.

Kakashi smiled and nodded though Naruto couldn't see it. "Two Anbu teams under my orders. No involvement with the Hokage at all." Kakashi smiled, Naruto had a sharp mind. "Oh, one more thing." Naruto turned to look back at his teacher. "One level up, two to the left." He pointed to a window on the floor above partially open. "Empty and above all more comfortable bed if you're not going to go back to your apartment." Naruto laughed a little and made a sweep through the room collecting his head band and waking Kasei, and walking up though the inside of the building at a leisurely pace. Finding the room Naruto stepped inside, closed and locked the door behind him and then flopped into bed.

There was a soft click as Kakashi pushed closed the window from the outside and then disappeared off into the night. After all, even Jounin ninja need sleep too.

* * *

Naruto was woken the next day by a tug and growl on his sleeve. Kasei was apparently hungry. The boy sat up yawning and stretching a bit. Kasei was yipping and pawing at the door out of the room. Naruto slung his jacket over his shoulder and headed out of the room. Taking his time to wake up, a luxury he knew he couldn't spare much during the coming month. He felt his chakra reserves. His human reserve was full and ready. His demonic reserve, which he was now able to make slowly on his own was also full, though much smaller than his human chakra. He would have to be careful with how he used his demonic skills.

The little fox bounded around Naruto's feet making walking a bit difficult. That was until he reaches down and picked up the demon by the scruff of its neck and held him up to eye level. "I don't suppose you eat Ramen?" Naruto asked. A nurse walking past going the other way giggled when she heard this and made Naruto feel a bit ridiculous. But Kasei just tilted his head to the side and looked at Naruto, obviously unaware as to what 'ramen' was. "No, probably not." Naruto sighed and set the fox down as he walked down the stairs.

On his way out Naruto checked the register at the front desk to see who had been hospitalized from the final fights. Sasuke's opponent didn't seem to be in, Injuries probably weren't that severe. Hinata was still in the ICU, reminding Naruto that he was going to show Neji that fate was not set in stone. Lee was out of intensive care but still being carefully watched over by dedicated nurses. One of the Sound ninja was also in the ICU, apparently with one arm blown off and the other mangled, though attempts were being made to save it. Naruto wondered what that fight had been like to cause something like that. But he didn't worry too much about it. Tenten had been released earlier with only mild injuries. No one else seemed to have been injured enough for them to have been brought to the attention of the nurses and doctors at the hospital itself.

Kasei tugged impatiently on Naruto's pant leg until the boy headed towards the door. Then the fox bounded ahead curious about everything in the city. Some gave the little creature plenty of room, reminding Naruto about the Fox stigma. People from the older generation remembered the Kyuubi's attack. And then it came back to him. Like a bad dream half forgotten. All those angry stares, bad looks pointed in his direction. He looked up, worried that all those looks would be aimed at him once more.

He was right there were a few people that gave the young pup worried looks and edged out of its way but no one said anything or gave the hateful looks that Naruto had grown accustomed to so long ago. Naruto smiled when he thought about how long ago now it seemed. SO much had happened. Things were changing towards a wonderful and bright future so it seemed. He walked. His armor in the bag over his shoulder walking towards the store that he had come to know almost as a second home.

He didn't immediately go to the clothing store, instead stopping at the Ramen store. He was quite famished and proved it by downing 4 of the Mega Sized bowls of Ramen. By the time he was done with his fourth bowl people were paying off bets for or against the probability of him exploding then and there. He was disappointed to find that Kasei didn't like Ramen at all. But he was lucky there that the daughter of the owner, Agama, found the little fox so cute and while Naruto was stuffing himself she delighted in feeding the little fox some meat they had. Naruto collected his own winnings from betting people he could indeed finish that amount and used a portion of it to pay off the meal. Then with the fox trotting after him he headed off to the tailors.

He paused outside Wonderland Clothing and smiled. Then he walked inside. A little string was tripped when the door swung open and a bell rung in the back of the shop. Kibou's voice sounded from the back room where the sound of an electric sewing machine whirred and worked. "Be out in just a moment," he called happily. A few moments later the whirring stopped and Kibou came out. "How may I..." He stopped and smiled at Naruto, then without turning he pulled the curtains away and called back to his wife. "Keito, dear, Put the kettle on, we've got company." He noticed Kasei peeking out from behind the boy's legs and smiled, letting the curtain drop away. "Alright, what are you waiting for?" He spread his arms wide. "Come on, give me a hug."

Naruto laughed a little and dropped the bag of armor on the floor stepping forward to hug the father figure. They spent a minute just holding each other. Naruto was the first to break away. "Uh... about the Armor..." Kibou raised an eyebrow and looked at him wondering what the boy was getting at. Then realization dawned on his face and he groaned.

"You're kidding me..." He shook his head and picked up the bag from the floor, opening it up and looking down at the armor inside. The breastplate was bent there were dings and scratches in the arms and shin braces. "What were you doing to this stuff? Throwing it off a cliff? Repeatedly?"

Naruto started to explain when Keito called out to them that the tea was ready. They came back and she jumped over giving Naruto a big hug and then announcing that they would be sparing after the tea. She wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten rusty. Keito explained to her the state of the armor and she demanded to see it, after all she had worked so hard on it with Naruto to get it right only to have it returned so soon in the condition it was in. Naruto sat and told them all that had happened, not skipping the part with the foxes or the fact that Kyuubi had been blocked from him. He was resigned to the fact that neither of them could do anything to the seal to change it back to the way it was. Kibou exclaimed that it wasn't fair that politics were the reason that he wasn't able to get it unsealed. It was Keito that calmed her.

"The five major ninja nations are each constantly in competition. It's much like trying to balance five marbles on top of each other, each one wanting to be the top ball. Currently it's very precarious with Leaf near or at the top. That makes the other nations uneasy and they may react unpredictably to any sign of weakness or rule breaking." Naruto listened to him as he continued and Keito went to refill the tea. Kasei was taking a nap on a pile of soft fabric scraps. They talked for a while longer, about the battles Naruto fought. He got the impression they knew something they weren't telling him but he wouldn't force them to say anything they weren't willing to talk about. Once they were finished with the tea, Kibou announce it was time to spar.

Taking Naruto by the arm and guiding him out of the back room and to the little area out back. They took up fighting stances and watched each other. Naruto opted for a wide Wind stance while Kibou chose Water. There was a pause and then Naruto attacked. Trying to keep out of the older woman's grasp as he tried to land a few blows on her. However he only managed two attacks before Kibou got one of his wrists. Pulling it behind him and up behind his back and throwing him to the ground. Naruto sprung up and settled into a Fire stance, Kibou chose earth this time. He focused on forming his Chakra to allow for as many afterimages as possible as he ducked and weaved and so he was completely startled when a solid Earth kick landed heavily on the side of his body and sent him sprawling to the ground once more.

"What is going on Naruto?" She asked, settling into her own fire stance and holding it as he got to his feet. "There were early three after images there, and those wind strikes before were slow." Naruto chose to go for the Lightning style. Stepping in and unleashing a volley of fierce piercing jabs with his fingers. However all he ever struck were her afterimages. She didn't strike back this time instead letting him continue attacking for a few minutes, then switching to Water style and throw him once more onto the ground. He lay there panting, in pain and confused.

"What is wrong with me?" He muttered as he sat up. The sparring was obviously over. Reaching down and putting a hand on his belly. "Did I eat too much earlier?" Obviously those four Mega Size bowls had to impeding him.

"No, I think it's something more." Keito said, watching from the door into the back of the store. "I think that you've gotten so used to channeling the Kyuubi's chakra that now that when you try and utilize a skill that relies at least partially on how you channel chakra you can't do it anymore. Like the fundamental nature of the chakra that you use has been changed." Naruto lie back on the ground and let out a frustrated cry.

"Damn. Damn! DAMN!" Husband and wife watched the outburst without comment. It seemed to them that it was something Naruto needed to get out of his system. "The end of the tournament is a month away. How am I supposed to learn how to channel my chakra differently than I have for YEARS?" He cried out in frustration. He tried to calm down and look over at his teachers. "What am I going to do? What can I do?" Husband and wife looked at each other and shrugged. Keito made a movement with his hand Kibou and smiled. She turned to Naruto.

"There are two options as there always are in the Ninja world." She smiled down at him kindly. "Give up or continue forward through any obstacles that come before you." Naruto listened and closed his eyes when he opened them and jumped back up to his feet.

"Well, that takes care of that." He announced and started stretching a bit to loosen up. "So basically I can't fine tune, I need to work my entire body. High level chakra training, right?" Kibou nodded as he continued. "So something like those Tree walking exercises Kakashi had us doing a while back." He looked at them. "Any idea what kind I might do?" It was Keito's turn to answer this time.

"That's simple. Water walking." Naruto sat and listened for a few minutes as the basic technique was explained to him. Keito demonstrated how it was supposed to be done with a simple tub of water. Though it was explained that it was easy with only a few inches of water, and was at its hardest at a depth of roughly six feet, though it did depend a bit on the mass of the person using the technique. He was told that the best place to train it was up behind the Onsen where there was a long stream that's varying depths would be very difficult to master by a beginner.

"While you're doing that we'll both be making your new training gear." Naruto opened his mouth but Keito held up a hand silencing him. "Hey, who's the tailor here? Don't worry. It will be just what you're looking for now that we know you don't need actual armor." Naruto tried again but received a sharp rap on the head from Kibou.

"Trust my husband. You know he's good at this stuff." She gave him a wink and Naruto gave up rolling his eyes slightly. "Alright, come on Kasei." He head out knowing not to bring up the subject of payment. But he would repay them some day for the kindness that they had given him. Once he was out of their back yard and out on the street again he reached down and tapped the little fox on the head with a finger.

"TAG!" He shouted and ran off ahead of the little demon. Kasei was puzzled for a moment then remembered the little games that were played with the other cub mates. Running after Naruto attempting to tag him in return. It took them half an hour to make it to the old Onsen at the edge of the village. Naruto was it again by the time they reached it and Kasei was proving an elusive subject. Dodging around the springs that were too hot for mere relaxation and working their way around the onsen. Naruto lost him for a little while, then figuring that he had jumped over the wall into the bathing area in the back of the onsen to get a moment's breath. He ran up to the wooden wall and grabbed the top of it and heaving himself up to look over to see if the fox was there.

"Hey have any of you seen a-" He didn't get to finish what he was saying because a towel was immediately slapped around his face. Falling back from the shock he didn't notice how hot it was until a second later. "YAAAH!" He pulled it off a moment later gasping for air, his face red from the heat and the mature images playing across his mind of what he had seen. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts he remembered why he was there.

"Amateur." Naruto looked around to try and see where the word had come from. He didn't see anyone but noticed Kasei up a hill. He balled up the towel and tossed it back over the onsen wall then raced after the fox once more.

The old pervert glanced back at the boy and the fox, from his hidden spot in the bushes. Then turned back to the peep hole and giggled a little then took down some more notes in his little book. Maybe he'd give the kid some pointers next time if he ran into him again.

Naruto fell down by the side of the little stream, tired from all the running that he had done as a part of the little game with the fox. A few days ago he wouldn't be nearly this tired from his exertion. It just worked to remind him of how important it was that he starts training in the new method as soon as possible. Forcing himself up, he looked at the stream. Walking over to it he knelt down and placed his hands against the water. Working on channeling some chakra through them he pressed them against the water and felt resistance. He increased the pressure slowly. It was working on his concentration but he continued until Kasei yipped and he was distracted. His chakra control slipped and his arms and torso immediately plunged into the stream. Backing out and gasping for air. The water was quite chilly after the hot towel not so long ago.

Kasei was doing the same as him. Pressing its feet against the surface of the water and testing the method. Naruto laughed a little and sat back. He tugged his wet shirt off along with his other clothes until he was just in his boxers. He also left his pendant on around his neck. He stood and concentrated, forcing the chakra into his feet then stepping out onto the water. It worked for a few moments then a fish darted under his feet and disrupted the chakra and he fell back onto the shore. But that didn't stop him. He got up and tried again. A few more failures but he kept lasting longer and longer.

All the chakra manipulation going on within his body had caused his full seal to become fully visible like a black tattoo against his belly with the various symbols around its edge. The memory of his First Brother, the destruction that he had caused in the tests drove him to work harder. Walking out on top of the water towards the center of the stream where the water was flowing faster and control was more difficult. Forcing him to learn the method faster but at the same time use up much more chakra.

Kasei was also training with him, walking out on the water and forcing chakra through its own feet to support itself. The little demon's progress was fast and it was soon running along the water while Naruto was still forced to walk. It still did occasionally slip a paw under the water when it wasn't concentrating but it only fully feel under a few times early on.

It was getting into the evening and Naruto's stomach was starting to grumble. With Kasei's help they were able to catch four good sized river fish. The little fox gathered firewood and with a little flame from Naruto's flint and steel from his little bag that he always kept with him. With the fish cooking they settled down to relax by the warm fire. It was then that Naruto heard cries from down the hill where the onsen was. A few moments later there was a large band of women running up the hill, all with towels hurriedly wrapped around their bodies.

"Where's that PERVERT!" One of the demanded, glaring down at the seated Naruto. He blinked a few times then pointed off down the river. The woman had scared him slightly. Her tone had indicated there would be a great deal of pain in the future for the one she had referred to as 'pervert' and Naruto wanted to make sure that it wasn't himself. The gang of women charge down the stream, aiming to make sure that the person that had offended them was never heard from again. As they were running away there were a few mechanical clicking sounds from a bush not too far from Naruto.

"You can come out now..." Naruto muttered checking on the state of the cooking fish. "I'm pretty sure they're gone now." There was a rustling sound and Naruto looked over to see a guy in one of the most outlandish costumes he had ever seen, outside of a carnival.

A bright red long vest over loose green suit. He was quite a tall man, easily over six feet and made even taller by his bright red platform geta sandals, so that he appeared to be closer to 6 and a half feet tall. Quite a bit taller than Naruto. His face was marked with two red lines down from each eye going all the way under his chin. A head band similar to a ninja, though it was quite a bit bigger and of a different design. Two small horns coming out near the top. The most bizarre thing of this stranger was his hair however. Pure white and much longer then Naruto had ever seen on a man, reaching well down his back. Though his hair was quite unruly and it looked like the man had never brushed it even once.

"Thanks kid," the man laughed and settled onto a rock across the fire from him. "What can the great Toad Sage do for you in repayment for this kind deed?"

"The 'great' what?" the boy looked at the man in puzzlement.

"Oh, my manners, I forgot to introduce myself," with that the odd looking man stood up and got into a rather odd pose that reminded Naruto of a Kabuki performance that he had been taken to once. "They say there is no man greater than the Fabled Toad Sage. In the North, South, east, and even West, there are none who can be said to be greater then HE!" He hopped from one foot to the other, bringing his hands together in what was obviously something he thought was impressive. There was a burst of smoke and when it cleared the man was standing on top of a fairly large toad, still in the ridiculous pose. "And He stands before you now! I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"

"What, you?"

* * *

Quote the Speechless: "Well, not nearly as much as a cliffhanger as I usually leave, but still I believe this ending holds up with my trend."

Ghost Wolf: "The Toad Sage? So I'm guessing that Naruto will begin training with the Rasangen soon?"

Quote the Speechless: "We'll see, maybe summons, maybe something else." He shrugs and smiles enigmatically.

Ghost Wolf: "Just so long as you don't take another nine months..."

Quote the Speechless: "Uh... We'll wait and see. I'm a bit out of practice after all." Hunches over a computer and starts writing.

Ghost Wolf: "Well, we'll see what the readers do to you as things go on... I'll be right over here." Grabs keys to the chains and runs out the door, leaving Quote at the mercy of the readers.

Quote the Speechless: "... Oh fuck..."


	17. Sage

Quote the Speechless: Hey, I'm alive. People ready for more?

Ghost Wolf: I don't think anyone's ever ready for you.

Quote the Speechless: Good. I'd hate to be predictable.

Ghost Wolf: Well considering what you're working on, you're going to be busy. I don't think they're expecting you to do much. I'm pretty sure they don't expect you to update anymore.

Quote the Speechless: Well, I'm not just dropping this story. I may take breaks, long breaks, but I keep coming back because this story won't leave me alone.

Ghost Wolf: This story won't leave anyone alone for too long. But anyway, JIRAIYA!

Quote the Speechless: Jiraiya indeed.

* * *

Legal: I don't own Naruto, stop asking.

**

* * *

Chapter 17: Sage**

"What's that supposed to mean, kid?" The tall man looked crestfallen and confused as the toad disappeared from under him and he was left alone in front of the boy. He dropped his ridiculous pose and stood there looking at Naruto.

"You can't be the Toad Sage," Naruto said as he leaned over the fire and tested the fish to see if they were done cooking yet.

"Why can't I be the Toad Sage?" He looked even more confused than before. "I mean why don't you believe me?"

"The Toad Sage is one of the greatest ninjas of the age at the same level as each of the Kage." Naruto turned the fish a bit. "Why would one of those great ninja spend his time peeping at women in the onsen? And even worse, why would such a ninja get _caught_ peeping like that?"

"Well," he started bashfully. "I was… doing research. I'm also a world renowned writer!" He reached into a pocket and whipped out an orange book that looked oddly familiar but Naruto couldn't quite place in his memory where he had seen the book. With a motion towards the book Kasei bounded around the fire and leapt into the air, snatching the book from the Sage who seemed quite surprised by the small fox's sudden movement. Holding the book in his jaws Kasei brought the book back to Naruto who took it and flipped a few pages.

In the moments it took for him to open the book and get more than three pages in, his face ran a number of emotions. First intrigue at what this man claiming to be the Toad Sage had written. Then confusion as the images took a stark turn towards the pornographic. Revulsion quickly followed, but was replaced almost instantly by a morbid curiosity as he continued to flip though the pages, occasionally turning the book this way and that, at one point turning it over completely three times. Once reaching the end of the book he closed it, and paused, momentarily debating adding it to the fire, but then deciding against it as the burning of such smut might ruin the taste of his dinner. He threw the book back at the man and then looked at him in a calculating manner.

"Page 63, it's impossible. No one can do that, let alone three people." Jiraiya frowned flipped though the book and found the picture that Naruto was referring to. He blushed and giggled as he remembered the inspiration.

"Well I can tell you it did happen. Ok, I may have embellished a little, they weren't quite THAT flexible, but I remember all three of them quite fondly. Late at night…" He giggled and then saw the look Naruto was giving him and tried to get himself back under control. "But it doesn't matter, you saw me summon the toad. That alone should confirm who I am." Naruto thought about it and nodded. To the best of his knowledge, the only person with the contract required to summon toads was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage.

Naruto took the fish off, tossed one to Kasei and started eating the other himself, looking at the little stream and thinking about it. Then grinning, he turned to Jiraiya.

"You know who I am. And what I am." It was not a question. However Jiraiya paused and looked at Naruto carefully before nodding. "Then you can solve a problem I've got." Naruto turned to him and lifted up his shirt. Jiraiya started to protest until he saw the alterations that had been done to the seal.

"What on earth happened to that seal?" He immediately pulled out a note book and started flipping pages as he examined it. "The spiral shouldn't be permanent, and what are these other seals?" He poked at Naruto's stomach with a pen and then started taking notes. "Not to mention the five parts seal."

"Yes! That's what I want gone. The five parts seal. It's blocking me off from all the chakra and screwing up my control way too much." Naruto complained and looked at Jiraiya expectantly.

"Well what about these? You've got seven observation seals. Who is watching you kid?" He frowned as he made some last notes and put the notebook away. Then he started to roll up his sleeve and focused chakra into his right hand. "Just the Five Parts Seal?" Naruto nodded. "This is going to sting."

"Sting?" Naruto only got out the single word before the sage's five glowing fingers slammed into his stomach.

"Five Part Unseal!" Jiraiya struck hard knocking the wind out of Naruto. A twist and he pulled his hand back, the seals slowly vanishing from his belly. He watched as Naruto's eyes and hair immediately change to red before fading back to their original color. Naruto himself barely had a moment to speak before he heard the voice.

"**GET IN HERE!"** He didn't have much say as he felt his mind almost dragged into the depths of his consciousness where the prison for Kyuubi was. **"Kid, I swear if you took much longer getting whatever the hell happened undone I was going to rip my way out of you myself. I was going CRAZY in here."** Kyuubi growled at him as his real world body started to collapse, caught luckily by Jiraiya who lay him gently down onto the ground beside the fire.

"There was nothing I could do. There was one insanely strong opponent, Orochimaru of the three Sages, he did it. I needed someone else as insanely strong to break it." Naruto explained. "I needed to find someone equally as strong. In this case Jiraiya, another of the sages." Naruto manifested a chair for him to sit on as he started to sculpt the area behind the barred wall between them. It had returned to its small confinement since the blocking. Once more it expanded and changed becoming a vast burnt wasteland which was Kyuubi's preferred habitat.

"**Well drink this, even if the chakra seal is applied again, we'll still be able to communicate. This also has the next segment of your chakra absorption."** The Kyuubi spun chakra together behind the bars, until it formed the red liquid mass. Naruto formed the prerequisite bowl and held it out in time to catch the liquid. He did and immediately started to drink it. The added mixture caused a spicy, but not unpleasant taste.

***

Back in the real world, Kasei had curled up on Naruto's stomach and was started to hum softly as the new chakra spread though Naruto's system, causing his hair to change a bit then settle back into its original blonde.

"What the hell did I just do to you, kid?" Jiraiya started to stand, preparing to place the seal back on to stop it from continuing but the little fox growled at him and he hesitated, getting the message. And though he doubted the little fox could do much, in cases like this it was better to be safe than sorry. "If you say so. But If I see this going wrong I'm going to do it."

***

Once Naruto had finished the bowl he sighed and felt it settle into his system. There was a brief pang of pain from his chest that caused him to wince slightly. He rubbed a hand over the middle of his chest and frowned slightly. What was that? That had never happened before.

"**What is the problem?"** Kyuubi rumbled still a bit irritated for being locked up in complete darkness again.

"Nothing," Naruto brushed the pain away, it was gone and he didn't worry about it that much. His body had proved again and again that it could take it.

"**Alright, tell me what happened. I sense two chakra signatures outside your real body. One of them is a fox. I'm curious as to how this has come about."**

"Alright, it's a long story." And so Naruto launched into it as his body rested and Jiraiya watched on.

***

Jiraiya had fallen asleep sometime in the night, writing notes about what he had seen the day before and drafting a chapter in his notebook before drifting off against a tree. He woke to the sound of laughter. Naruto was running around on top of the water as if it was solid ground, dodging back and forth, trying to splash the little fox from last night as it tried to splash him, both standing only on the water. Jiraiya had to admit that he was impressed. The Kyuubi's chakra apparently augmented his abilities more than he had originally thought.

He watched the boy playing around and thought about the Fourth Hokage and the potential he had had at Naruto's age. That power combined with that potential…

"Hey Kid!" Naruto skid across the surface of the water and paused just as Kasei spun using his tail to launch a spray of water, which caught Naruto in the side of the head, disrupting his concentration and caused him to fall backwards and under the water.

"NO FAIR!" He spluttered as he resurfaced, climbing back up to the surface of the water and walking onto land. Jiraiya noted that his hair fluctuated between the bright blond though and equally bright red seemingly at random. Naruto didn't seem to notice. Kasei bound along behind him obviously happy with himself for his victory. "I was distracted! You owe me a ramen." He turned an accusing finger at Jiraiya.

"Sure kid, but tell me this. Would you rather have some ramen or a new super awesome technique?" Naruto frowned, apparently quite torn with the decision. Crossing his arms and thinking about it, his brow creased in concentration. Jiraiya frowned. He actually had to think about it?

"What kind of technique?" Naruto asked a little suspicious of getting a subpar technique in exchange for missing ramen.

"Well I was going to offer you a summoning contract. But with that kind of attitude, I think we'll wait a bit before thinking about that." He paused to think for a second and considered his massive repertoire of techniques. "How about my Hair Techniques?"

"No thanks, besides, why would I want to style my hair? It's perfect just the way it is." Naruto reached up and ran his finger though its crimson locks. He paused and pulled down a bit of hair until he could see its color. He stared at it and it faded to his natural blonde. "Huh, new infusion is trying to force it…" He mumbled a bit to himself but was interrupted by Jiraiya.

"No you stupid kid. I mean my hair Ninja Techniques. Here, Watch." He got into a stance and started the hand seals. "Underworld Guardian Spikes!" And his hair began to lengthen, wrapping around his body and spiking out around him making his entire body a shield. He held it for a moment so Naruto could see then released the jutsu. His hair returned to its long but natural length. Naruto looked thoughtful.

"There are more?" Jiraiya nodded with a growing smile. "And not just defensive?" Another nod. Naruto continued to think, and glanced down at Kasei who was already trying to mold his fur using chakra with interesting if ineffective results. "Alright, you've got a deal."

Jiraiya spent the rest of the day teaching the hand seals and molding techniques to Naruto who had obviously never tried molding his own hair with chakra, intentionally at least. However due to the effects of the demonic chakra on his body, his hair was already quite susceptible to the technique. It didn't take him long to learn the first basic technique that Jiraiya showed him earlier, though it would obviously take more practice before he mastered it. Currently it just grew down his back but didn't wrap around his body, but it was quite hard and the spikes were deadly sharp.

An odd side effect was that no matter how hard Naruto tried, whenever he molded the chakra though his hair it immediately turned the bright red that normally indicated the use of demonic chakra, even though he was positive he wasn't using any.

The second technique he was shown was the Wild Lion's Main, which caused his hair to extend outward and then harden if he performed a final seal, possibly killing anyone trapped within. He had some difficulty with length and couldn't match Jiraiya's 40 feet of hair, but he figured that it wouldn't be long before he could extend it beyond his current 10 foot reach. The same red effect persisted with this technique as well.

Jiraiya refused to teach him any others until he had learned those two techniques to his satisfaction. It took three days, but eventually Naruto managed it. His body could either be covered with a protective layer of razor sharp spines, or generate 20 feet of hair that could harden and trap to Jiraiya's satisfaction.

Though not as complex as Naruto's new techniques, Kasei had developed its own. It seems that the fur wouldn't grow to the lengths that Naruto's could, but they could easily become as sharp if not sharper. With that in mind the little fox set about making the fur as long and sharp as possible while not restricting movement. It was tricky to mold it to certain areas while keeping others normal length, like along the insides of the legs, but it proved quite effective as they sparred together as they did at the end of each day before dinner.

Naruto would come back with many scratches and cuts along his body while Kasei was exhausted after using the technique a few times. The little fox had also been working on building up speed to greater levels and could now often only be recognized in battle as a red a white blur and the sting of a new cut. Jiraiya didn't join into the sparing directly, but had fun throwing kunai and shuriken at them while they sparred and yelling tips to both of them in terms of tactics.

The next technique that Jiraiya taught Naruto was the Wild Razor Tail. It turned out to be a technique that extended a portion of his hair into a long whip off of the back of his head. The Jiraiya could control the length of the whip from 10 feet all the way up to 60 with a blade of sharp spines along its length. He demonstrated its use by twisting his body and lashing the hair at a tree 40 feet away. The spines dug deeply into its trunk as it wrapped around, and was cut down like a chain saw cutting in from all sides when he yanked his hair back. The tree toppled over as Naruto watched with his mouth agape. With practice, Jiraiya told him that he would be able to control it without making any movements and only with chakra, but right now he should focus on getting it in the first place. After a few tries Naruto managed a decent 16-foot length of hair, and while he couldn't control its movement or length Jiraiya informed him that it was a good length for practice.

***

Though Naruto tried to hide it, Jiraiya noticed some discrepancies when he was fighting and in the second week stopped him in the middle of a sparring match.

"What's wrong, Kid?" he didn't look particularly happy that the child in front of him had been hiding something. "You're slowing down, distracted, and in pain. What happened?"

"Nothing's wrong," Naruto tried to shrug it off and turned to continue sparing with Kasei, but Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"Don't lie to me. You tell me one more lie and I'll not only stop training you, but go to the Hokage and get you pulled from the exam." He frowned darkly down at the boy, more serious now than at any time Naruto had seen him before. And he didn't doubt that the man would do it, but he still hesitated. Jiraiya noticed the hesitation and released him, turning and heading towards town.

"It's the Chakra, alright!" Jiraiya stopped and turned to him. "The demonic chakra… It's too much for my body." He walked over to a rock and sat down, holding his head in his hands. "Kyuubi says we were too eager, moved too fast. The chakra is starting to overwhelm my coils and damage my body. I heal the damage, but my stores of Demonic chakra are growing naturally now, drawing directly from Kyuubi without the periodic infusions, but slowly."

"Five parts seal," Jiraiya suggested, but Naruto shook his head.

"It's too late for that. And if cut off from Kyuubi, my healing decreases. There are two options. Either I go slowly and hope that my body can change, become demonic enough over time to accept the growing chakra, which will be slow and painful. Or we go fast. Immediate and full transfusion, which would probably rip me apart from the inside out in a massive explosion if I don't manage to become fully demonic." He sighed and looked at his new teacher. "Either way it's painful, and might kill me."

"Bleed it off," Jiraiya sat on a log across from the fire pit they were using.

"That's what the sparring is for. But it's just like normal chakra in that manner. The more I exercise it the more comes back." He rubbed a small spot on his arm, a cut from the sparring had already shrunken to a scratch and was in the process of disappearing. "Kyuubi and I have a plan. He knows a place where I can go, a place where I can go to get help and train. I'm going to go there after the exam."

"Probably a good idea," came a grumbling voice from the thick woods on the other side of the stream. Both Naruto and Jiraiya jumped up and into fighting positions, neither had felt anything when the voice spoke and they were amazed as the massive man walked out of the forest. He stood easily seven feet tall, five feet broad at the shoulders, hair and pelts covered his large body. Long arms and a build that could only be described as… bear like.

"Third Brother?" Naruto relaxed slightly as the tremendous man walked forward, settling on the other side of the stream. Jiraiya relaxed slightly also, glancing curiously at Naruto who had not said anything of his meeting with the siblings. The human form of Sanbi nodded and his hand darted into the water, swatting a fish into the air which he caught easily with another hand.

And suddenly the others were there. Nibi appeared from underground, snacking from a little bag of treats of some kind or another, looking like the little mole of a man from the last time. The water rose and twisted into the fully human form of Shibi, her skin no longer blue or scaled but a deep suntan, wearing about as much as before, though this time taking the form of a blue bikini, which immediately had Jiraiya bleeding from the nose as she settled into a provocative position in the shallows of the water. A woman with white hair and alabaster complexion walked up to them from along a path that both would be willing to swear wasn't there a minute ago. Five black stripes along the back of her tight and formal kimono marked her as the Gobi.

The Rokubi dropped down from a high branch, laughing as Gobi had to dodge to the side to avoid her. Wearing tight acrobatic clothing and armor, six braded ponytails hanging past her shoulders. Nanabi didn't so much appear as step out from behind the large form of Sanbi, an old woman in appearance though still strikingly beautiful, learning on an ebony cane wearing a black kimono, with seven stars emblazoned above her heart. She clicked disapprovingly to Sanbi who looked a little ashamed and quickly finished eating his fish and wiped his fingers on his furs. Hachibi walked over from around the bend in the river wearing a simple off white kimono, a jug of sake swinging from his hand as he walked to the gathering. Lanky and calm, he was a little awkward as he settled against a tree.

"Seems like we all had the same idea," Nanabi spoke first, looking around at her siblings.

"Stranger things have happened," Rokubi muttered, though not quite quiet enough.

"Name three," Hachibi yawned and took a swig of his sake. Rokubi refused to acknowledge his comment.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?" Jiraiya was starting to get really frustrated. He couldn't sense anything from any of these people. They were obviously incredibly powerful and yet he couldn't feel a whisper of their power, something that worried him even more then if he had sensed their full power.

"These are my… siblings. My family," Naruto put a hand on his arm to try and calm him for what little good it did. "You might want to go, this is probably not something you should be here for." He looked around at his siblings and noted that they didn't quite meet his eye, except for Gobi and Nanabi who clicked her cane against a pebble.

"He is one of the Sanin, and what we have to say may concern him as well," she looked around the others and they each nodded in turn except Gobi and Hachibi, though that was probably because he was taking a swig from his jug again.

"No, this is a Family issue. No matter how powerful this human is he is not one of us," Gobi objected.

"Your objection is noted," Nanabi nodded to her sister who gave her an icy glare in return but didn't say anything more. "A grave situation has come to our attention," she turned to Naruto. "Demons are disappearing." Naruto looked nonplussed.

"He doesn't get it," Nibi chuckled and picked up a rock. He took a slow breath and as he exhaled he slowly molded the rock into a smooth bowl. When he was done he held up the empty bowl. "This is an animal, basic, unthinking, and surviving." He dipped the bowl into the stream. "The river is the power of nature, overflowing and powerful. But some of it can be contained." He lifted the bowl out, half full of water. "This is a demon, a natural creature infused with some of that power of nature, making it more than it was. This little one for example is a fox, with the merest drop from the stream." He indicated Kasei who was curled up by Naruto's feet, shivering slightly as he watched the Great Beasts in human forms.

"When one of these demons dies," he held the bowl above the stream and broke it in half, the water dropping down into the stream. "The power that they gained from nature returns, and mixes until another creature has the potential or knack and draws some more out." He dipped one of the halves into the stream and drew out a little water in what remained of the bowl. Then he tossed away the pieces further down the stream. "Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, he'd been given a long lecture about what demons were by Kyuubi some time ago, but had never fully grasped it until now. Something about teaching made him rant sometimes.

"**That's because you don't pay attention when I'm trying to teach you something, other than a new technique,"** Kyuubi snorted from inside his head, apparently listening to his thoughts.

"So you're saying they aren't dying, but have gone missing?" Jiraiya interrupted.

"Not exactly," Rokubi sighed and settled down, fiddling with one of her braids. "In the past few years a few bodies have been found of former demons, with their power gone. We naturally assumed that a new being had taken it up, and we didn't see them because they were hiding or didn't know the power." She shrugs. "It happens more than you would think."

"However," Gobi stepped forward, giving Jiraiya a little glare before continuing. "Recently more powerful demons are dying, demons who's powers we would have felt returning to the stream or entering a new host. A lieutenant of mine, a powerful Snow Wolf, his body was found a week ago, a husk of his former self, dead, power gone."

"Two Rocs," said Rokubi.

"An Aspidochelone," everyone turned a questioning look at Shibi. She sighs and splashed the water a little in frustration. "It's a massive turtle, got an island on its back. He even had a little forest." She looked into the water, deeply frustrated. "He was my friend for more than two hundred years. And now he's dead, even his forest has withered."

An angry fist slammed into the ground as Sanbi's anger erupted. The others looked a little worried until Nanabi put a hand on his shoulder. He turned and snarled at her before stopping and looking down, ashamed at his loss of control.

"It's not right," he growled, clenching both large hands into massive fists. "They should not have been taken like this. The balance is upset. The trees are worried."

"He's right," Hachibi pushed off from his tree as he spoke for the first time. "We've all noticed it, the decline. Many demons have gone now. Though we tend not to concern ourselves with the lesser of out kind. But this now is much too much to be ignored." He set his jug of Sake down in front of Sanbi who took it and took a massive calming gulp of the alcohol. "Who could do this?"

"My winds are afraid, but they bring me news of a few strange men," she glanced at Jiraiya and his strange clothes and look. "Stranger than normal in any case. Men in black cloaks with red clouds. They were seen after two of the attacks, leaving the area. But my winds were too afraid to get too close to these men after what has been happening."

"A sunfish mentioned something similar to me, but I hadn't made the connection, they were seen days apart from the attack." Shibi sighed and splashed the water in frustration once more.

"Akatsuki," all eyes turned on Jiraiya. "My contacts have been whispering about this group for ten years or so, but recently the whisper has turned into a buzz. They're all incredibly powerful shinobi, none less than A Class. All wanted by each of the Elemental Countries. I have a few names, but nothing more than that really, except that they travel around in twos and are looking for something. And… they always wear black cloaks with red clouds."

Jiraiya found himself under the full scrutiny of all the people there, even Naruto. He noticed that Naruto's eyes had changed from bright blue into a shining red. He looked at the others and saw their eyes had changed as well. Blue, green, white, gold, black, red, turquoise, and though it was impossible to see behind Nibi's glasses there seemed to be a tan shimmer. He had to make a decision, his life might hinge on what he said next.

"There is another problem, you see," Nanabi spoke slowly, still watching Jiraiya with her pitch black eyes that none the less sparkled softly with some inner light. "Our Ninth Brother," she glanced at Naruto for a second. "He contains a phenomenal amount of the Demonic chakra that we mentioned before. If he were to die by normal means the chakra would return to the stream and might help to correct some of the balance that was lost. However… should his chakra be removed in this fashion, and not returned to the Source, then irreparable damage could be done. This, combined with the state of his transformation, makes this quite troubling. We will conduct our own searches for this Akatsuki group, but I suspect your own searches would prove more fruitful."

Jiraiya nodded slightly wondering why they would tell him this information. The Nine Great Beasts, vulnerable, and it was obvious now to him what they each were, eight of the nine. They could be removed, perhaps controlled. If the Akatsuki were doing this, then they were much more powerful and more dangerous than he had ever suspected, and he knew what had to be said then. Not just for himself, but also for their future.

"I swear on my honor that none of the information you have given me here will be relayed to another person by any means even torture. I will give you all the information I have on Akatsuki and do more searching into their means and who is part of the group. Any information will be given to Naruto." The others looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"One last thing," Shibi spoke up. Stepping up out of the water and walking across it to Naruto. "Please train him," she said as she put an arm around him and looked at Jiraiya. "We cannot afford to loose him. And I've grown quite fond of him." Jiraiya didn't hesitate as he nodded. He had been planning to train Naruto in any case.

"Now, before we go. Lift your shirt." Naruto looked confused at the request but did so. Shibi stepped forward first and placed a finger on the scale se had left on his belly when they had first met.

"You've shown the ability to adapt under variable situations and never give up during times of change and diversity." A cool feeling swept though his body spreading from where her finger was. And the scale seal started to fade, the image twisted and swept into the spiral. "You have passed my test."

"You have shown your respect for nature and the balance. You have shown great strength and the potential to grow into something tremendous." The great bear of a man walked across and knelt down, pressing a long fingernail against the leaf. "You're a good kid." The leaf twisted and followed the other symbol into the spiral.

"A cool mind in the most conflicted and heated situations. Not perfect, but you've done much better than I expected." Gobi walked across the water and brushed a cool finger over the snowflake, which also melted in to the spiral on his belly. "You have passed."

"During the exam, yes I was watching, you chose to cheat on the test when you could have told the truth and done the 'right' thing." Nanabi smiled as she stepped forward. Tapping his belly with the tip of her staff. "You have a touch of the darkness in you. And you'd never be able to survive in this world of Ninja without it." The crescent moon twisted and curled into the spiral. Nibi stepped forward next.

"Where is our First Brother?" His black spectacles sparkling as he smiled. Naruto smiled in return.

"He is sealed inside Gaara of the Sand, a genin of the Hidden Sand." Nibi nodded.

"Finding what is hidden, a special skill to have. Cultivate it well." Another touch and the geode folded into its self and fell into the spiral. "Be sure to go to him for the final seal."

"You've gotten lucky with these exams." Rokubi jumped across the stream landing in front of Naruto. "You've been able to prove yourself quite well. Being able to cultivate skills and friendships, pulling people together, breezes becoming winds twist together into a powerful storm." With a touch a soft finger and the feather blew into the spiral as well, leaving only the sun marking remained. Naruto turned to Hachibi waiting for him but the lanky man shook his head.

"You have the light, but you aren't ready for my blessing yet." He sighed softly. "But this exam isn't over. You may yet prove yourself well before the deadline." He stretched a bit. "We'll be holding you to what you said Jiraiya." He started to walk away. "And we're looking forward to seeing you at the final exam."

"What?" Naruto lowered his shirt knowing that he still had a lot of work to do.

"Didn't we tell you?" Nanabi smiled softly at the young boy. "We're going to be coming to see your final exam."

"Train well," Shibi said as she slipped into the water once more, giving a bawdy wink at Jiraiya. "We're looking forward to your exam. We'll be coming in our real bodies for that." She giggled and her form dissipated into the water. The others started disappearing as well after giving their goodbyes.

Nibi turned into gravel that fell into a pile. Rokubi blew away with a laugh, disappearing into the wind. Hachibi walked away into a flash of light. Gobi's form fell in a pile of snow which quickly evaporated. Sanbi got up and walked over to the trees, melding into the wood. Nanabi waited for the others to disappear looking at Naruto.

"I didn't want to say this in front of the others. There is an option, one that they would not be proud of. However it is my duty to think the Dark Thoughts." She locked eyes with him, her shimmering black meeting his fiery red. "Should you find yourself in a situation where the Akatsuki may capture you and manage to seal your chakra away, if you have no way out, it is your duty to take your own life. To make sure that your chakra returns to the stream. The world will right itself in time. I have seen it survive incredible things and we will help it survive."

"You can't ask him to do this!" Jiraiya fumed at her. "He's just a kid!"

"It's alright," Naruto said calmly. "It's part of her duty to say this. And I understand. But only, ONLY, if there is no other way out." He growled softly at her. She nodded.

"One last thing," she poked his belly with her staff. "The seals should help your body absorb the chakra and prevent further damage. But only for a month, two on the outside, after that your body must change, or risk death." With this final warning her form unwound into shadows and faded away into the background. There was a long silence between Jiraiya and Naruto. Kasei peeking out from behind Naruto's leg making a little whine at the events.

"You've got a messed up 'family', kid," Jiraiya sighed and sat down on the log again, letting out a long sigh.

"You have no idea." Naruto sighed and got back into a fighting stance. "Lets get serious now, shall we?"

"Yea, lets," Jiraiya nodded and got into a fighting stance of his own, finally joining into the sparing.

* * *

Ghost Wolf: Ooh, Ominous, and a bit scary.

Quote the Speechless: Yes, now I'm showing you how I'm really planning to change the Naruto storyline. If you wanted me to keep following it, I don't care. Go read something else.

Ghost Wolf: Well I remember what you've been telling me about your other new characters.

Quote the Speechless: Hush! They aren't ready for that.

Ghost Wolf: Well the cat's out of the bag.

Quote the Speechless: Not yet, but she'll be pissed once she is.


	18. Smack Down

Ghost Wolf: I'm wonder how they're going to want to torture you this time? Leaving them in Limbo for 6 months now? I wonder if any of them still think you're alive.

Quote the Speechless: Oh I'm sure I still have more than a few faithful worshipers… I mean readers…

Ghost Wolf: If you say so, I'm guessing you've got to do something real big to keep them interested this time.

Quote the Speechless: Well, I have the Naruto vs. Neji fight. Do you think that will do for now?

Ghost Wolf: Well considering the way you wrote it… quite possibly.

Quote the Speechless: Well then, let's let them have it.

* * *

Legal: Yay! I finally own Naruto! What? I don't? Shit.

* * *

**CHAPTER Eighteen: Smack Down  
**

A month had passed since the end of the second stage of the Genin exams. Dignitaries, merchants, wealthy businessmen and important political figures had taken their time in arriving to the Hidden Village of Leaf from all over the continent. Now, the city was bustling with the commotion of welcoming the guests. Shops brought out their finest wares and restaurants brought out their finest silver all to attract the important people, and perhaps to earn them some recognition. So, it wasn't too bizarre when nine strangers walked up to the front gates.

The first was a tall, thin monk wearing off-white robes with a sun emblazoned on them over his heart. The robes were of fine silk, the color of fresh cream, and seemed to shimmer lightly as he walked. However, for one so richly dressed it was odd for him to come unaccompanied. Even more odd was the jug of sake that was swinging lazily from his left hand. His head was bald and reflected the light of the bright day, his face long and a bit angular, and his eyes were hidden behind white opalescent glasses. A strange sight, but in this particular village it was hardly the oddest thing that they had seen.

The ninja guarding the gate were busy checking through a merchant's caravan and making sure they had the right paperwork. One of them motioned to the man that they would be with him in a moment. He nodded and carefully sat down on a wide dark stone that had been left undisturbed, hot from gathering light all day a little distance outside the village a dozen yards or so from the gate.

"Take your time. I'm waiting for some people." The ninja acknowledged the monk and went about their work.

It wasn't long after that that the second person appeared. She was a much shorter woman who wore her brown hair in six ornate braids. She cart wheeled down the road, much to the enjoyment of a few small children who chased after her. She was wearing a light blue kimono in a short style, one favored by kunoichi for its light weight and flexibility, a mountain in copper thread displayed on her back. She stopped cart-wheeling not far from the rock where the other stranger sat and turned to the children, pulling out some sweets from a little bag and handing a few to them. She shooed them off to their parents, who were busy carrying goods to the market to sell.

She tuned to the man in monks' robes, and her sharp features broke into a smile. She walked over, sitting down on the rock as well, though neither spoke a word to the other, seemingly enjoying the silence.

After a time, others appeared. The next was an old woman with stately features and silver hair in a single braid down her back. She was wearing a long kimono with large, black sleeves and a silver moon over her right breast. In her hand was a long, black walking stick. A servant girl, with black hair in a pixy-cut, was with her. The girl was wearing the same style of black kimono, though she didn't look nearly as comfortable with it as the older woman. She constantly fidgeted with the pack over her shoulder.

A woman in the finest white silk also appeared, shaded by a white parasol with a snow scene embroidered into the fine cloth. Her pale features and white hair, along with haughty expression, immediately dubbed her as "Ice Queen" by anyone who looked at her. She also brought a servant girl, demure in white robes similar to her master but with doves instead of snow.

A woman in a deep sea-green kimono came along with a sea of admirers following her. The reason for this was quite obvious: her kimono was of a thin material and clung to her body in a very provocative manner. Her flirtatious attitude, musical voice, and dark blue hair that cascaded down her back added to her enticing image. However, she dismissed her admirers when she saw the people by the stone, and sat on the rock, removing her sandals and dipping her feet into a small pool of water which had managed to escape the sun in the shade of the rock.

A massive man with a surprisingly well-fitting kimono walked towards them. He didn't look particularly comfortable in it, much to the amusement of the girl with the braids and the one in sea green. A forest was displayed on his robes. He sat down and grumbled under his breath but was silent after a moment like the others.

The silence was starting to unnerve the two ninja guards who would occasionally glance over at these strangers. But there was nothing other than their silence and rich clothes that they could identify, and the rich were allowed many peculiarities. None had any significant chakra that they could tell and didn't move like ninja. They tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling that these eight made. The ninth character changed things.

"Ah, good, you're all here," the man in the brown kimono walked out through the gate and towards the others who, when they saw him, started to rise. He wore black sunglasses and had a pinched look to his face. He reached into a pocket and took out several things that he started handing around to them. "These will help suppress our natural affinity." To each person he handed a necklace with sets of different colored opals. To the woman in black he handed a string of seven black opals on a black silk cord, which she took and carefully tied around her neck. The others followed suit: three green to the largest man, four blue for the woman in sea green, five white to the white-haired woman, six to the woman with braided hair, and eight white which sparkled with many different colors to the lanky monk. The man in brown had two amber opals hanging from his necklace.

"And I have sets for First and Ninth as well, when they are ready," he looked at the two servant girls, his eyes shimmering for a moment behind his glasses. "Hmmm, as for you two, here, take these." Out of another bag he produced two rings of silver, one set with moonstone and the other with onyx. "They will disguise your other chakra as that of a human's," he said giving them a wink as they each took one to match the color of their kimono. "This is a village of highly trained shinobi, we must be careful not to reveal ourselves."

"That means we can't have _any_ fun?" The servant girl dressed in black whined softly, though not softly enough and got a sharp glare from her mistress. "Sorry, Ma'am."

When the nine strangers approached the gates, the ninja stationed there stepped forward. One held out a hand to them. They looked at his hand and then back at him.

"Yes? What do you want?" The woman in black asked, her servant snickering softly behind her.

"Your name and identification papers, ma'am? We need to know who you are before we can let you into the village," he explained patiently. There was a reason he was good at guard duty: he never lost his temper, no matter how often he had to inform people of the same information again and again. But, even this day was starting to get to him. But this encounter was different. The woman fixed him with a stern, piercing gaze.

"You don't need to see our papers," she spoke in a soft, even tone looking at the other ninja there, even to the two extra ones hidden in the trees to either side. "As for our names? We are clan… Uzumaki."

"I don't need to see your papers," he replied, looking down at his clipboard and writing down the name of the clan then looking up and smiling at her. "Welcome to The Village of Leaf, we hope that you enjoy your stay."

"Oh, we will," she smiled at the man, and her servant snickered again as they walked through the gate.

"Huh…" the guard looked down at his clipboard. "I only know of one Uzumaki… naw, there's no way they're related." He shook his head and returned to his duty.

***

Naruto was awakened with a light kick to his shoulder. He had fallen asleep on the banks of the little river again after the sparring. His clothes were pretty ragged warn from long training. Even his headband was ragged, having been pierced by hair spikes on numerous occasions. His body, on the other hand, was in perfect condition: every cut and bruise he earned from the sparring had healed, his chakra system seemed to be taking the new chakra well, at least with the added buffer that his siblings had placed in him.

"Come on, kid," Jiraiya gave his shoulder another nudge with his sandal as Naruto started to stir. "I let you sleep a bit late so you'd be rested for today. It's going to be a long one, that's for sure," he chuckled at something.

"Pervert," Naruto muttered as he sat up. Kasei was gnawing on a fish that he had caught. The young ninja smiled as he remembered what day it was and jumped up to his feet and started running into town. "Come on old man!" Naruto bound off with Kasei barking at his heals, the fish already forgotten. Jiraiya followed after Naruto wondering where he was going, probably to get food. But, instead of heading for the food market—though he did slow a bit as he passed the ramen stand—Naruto ran for a small clothing store.

Kibou was out front of the store chatting up a customer who wore fine red and purple and telling her how the vest he was showing could hide half a dozen thin knives in the lining. He saw Naruto coming and grinned. Taking a moment from the customer, he gave Naruto a hug and then pushed him towards the door.

"Go see Keito, she has had everything set up for you for the past week." Naruto grinned and hugged him again before rushing inside, Jiraiya following him after a moment. The ninja clothes here were of really high quality, and he thought about getting some for himself. Inside the store was quite busy, it seems that the finale of the Genin exam was being treated somewhat like a carnival. Keito was behind the register ringing up a customer's purchase when she saw Naruto. She finished ringing up the customer before stepping out from behind the counter and giving Naruto a massive hug, which he returned in kind. Then she stepped back and knocked him hard in the head.

"That's for not contacting us for a MONTH!" She scolded him, and a few customers turned to watch, one girl giggling when she saw Naruto's disheveled appearance. "You look like you've been living in the Forrest of Death!" She stuck her finger in one hole on his shirt and then hooked it though another less than an inch away.

"It's good to see you too." Naruto rubbed his head with one hand and tried to swat her hand away. She gave him another swat and sighed. "What are you doing here? You should be getting ready." She pushed him towards the back of the store. "Second dummy on the left, might be a little big: we left some room for growth." She shoved him gently though the back curtain then knelt down to scoop up Kasei before the cub could dart in after him. "How about we get you some jerky to chew on?" The little fox barked in approval and curled against her chest before jumping out of her arm and nuzzling against her shin.

Naruto found the gear right where she said it would be, though it wasn't exactly what he was expecting. The body armor was almost completely gone, replaced by what looked like a red hoodie with a zipper along the front and an under layer of a very light chainmail. He walked around the dummy and saw slits along the hoodie's back, compartments for thin knives and small shuriken and senbon, after careful searching he located a dozen places it hide multiple knives. He figured that all tolled the single garment could hide easily two dozen small blades without looking any different than it did now. The weight of the hoodie was different as the fabric was very light, not the same material that made most sweatshirts. Instead it was some blend of materials that breathed quite easily, while still affording some protection by being at least mildly difficult to cut though. The pants were of a darker red, but the same material with similar hidden pockets. A belt with a series of pouches gave him places to store his other equipment, and Naruto found that they were already packed with standard ninja equipment; he only had to transfer over a few special items of his before it was perfect. This was quite good as his kunai and shuriken were barely above useless after such extensive training.

He had stripped down and was putting on the new pants when he noticed a pair of bracers and shin guards on the worktable. He finished putting the pants on and got up to examine them. They looked completed for the most part only missing the proper size fittings for their eventual owner. The shin guards were each a single piece with light padding inside and straps, they were a lot lighter than previous sets. The bracers were also noticeably lighter than previous pairs. He put them on, shin guards first, under his pants and they were hidden perfectly. Next he put on the bracers, nearly crying out with surprise when he twisted his right wrist to attach the straps on the left bracer and a long single blade popped out along the outer edge of the bracer. He twisted his wrist the other way, and the blade disappeared back into the hidden slot.

"When you get good enough you can try molding elemental chakra into those," Kibou spoke from the entrance to the back room. "Well, should be able to, we didn't have time to really test those out well enough. Keito could only manage it when using the elemental stances." He came over and made sure that both bracers were attached properly, checking the shin guards as well. He nodded and stood back to look at Naruto. "We tried various armor ideas. The Kevlar of the top layer, along with the chain mail, will help a lot without impeding movement like any heavier armor. All together it weighs about eight pounds, almost nothing to a ninja."

Naruto tried some light jumps and found it to be true, he came down a little heavier than before but nothing he couldn't handle. He tried a few of the kata for fire, molding some chakra along his arms, the blades shot out, and he noticed a definite reddening of the blades' edge which, when he pressed it against the edge of the table, left a smoldering impression. The blades coole,, and he retracted them before hugging Kibou tightly. The tailor returned the hug and pushed him towards the door.

"Wait! One last thing!" Naruto pulled out his warn headband and showed it to the man. Kibou took it with a laugh and took it to a work station, stripping off the ragged cloth and pulling out strips of left over red Kevlar. With practiced ease he threaded a needled and, in no time at all, the headband was repaired. Naruto took it and tied it to his forehead securely, proud to be wearing a symbol that he trusted.

"Now get going, make us proud. We'll be watching the finals on TV," he ruffled Naruto's hair with a hand, and the boy ran out. He told Kasei to stay with the two shopkeepers. He waved goodbye to Kieto, who laughed and made shooing motions while she checked out the pile of things Jiraiya was buying, while he tried to haggle her down by offering her a signed copy of his book. He left shortly after with bagful of items, a much lighter wallet, and a well-earned black eye.

Naruto pulled up his hood and ran towards the arena, dodging between people, appearing as little more than a red blur to most. He continued this until it got too crowded, then he took to the rooftops, increasing his speed as his adrenaline pumped, letting out a whoop of joy at the thought of the battles to come. He didn't notice the nine strangers who watched him with interest as he ran, as they too made their way to the stadium.

Once he arrived at the stadium he walked into the contestant area where the other finalists were waiting. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Shino, Shikamaru, and Neji were already there, overlooking the arena; Sasuke wasn't there yet, and neither were the Sound ninja. Most of the arena was an earthy clearing, though there were a number of trees along the edge and a small stream running though the middle. This stream divided the arena in to two rough halves with a small pool of water about twenty feet across.

Shino was sipping from a bottle of what smelled like honey water. Neji was drinking some tea as he leaned against the railing and watched people entering the seats, occasionally his temple would throb oddly. Shikamaru appeared to be asleep in a seat. The three Sand ninja were grouped together, though the older two still gave Gaara as much space as he wanted.

Neji was the first to notice Naruto. He turned and smirked slightly as he thought about how easy it would be to beat him in the first bout and turned back to watching the spectators: the seats were mostly full at this point. Gaara noticed him next, giving him a calculating glare, his right hand clenching into a fist involuntarily. Naruto merely smiled and bowed slightly in his direction. His siblings glanced worriedly at their brother and Naruto, unable to grasp fully what had happened that day a month ago.

Naruto walked over to a little food table where some fruits and snacks were set out. He selected an orange and walked over to a chair by the railing. He sat down and took out a small kunai from his belt and started skinning the fruit, taking his time and letting the fresh smell of the orange fill the air. He took a bit of the rind and reached over towards Shikamaru and squeezed it, making the oil spray into the air in under his nose. The lazy ninja sneezed violently and woke up rubbing his nose and muttering mild curses at the troublesome blonde while Naruto chuckled and offered him a slice, which he took.

It wasn't long until a jounin entered the waiting area and called for them to assemble down on the arena floor for the start of the exam. They made their way down onto the center of the arena and made a line facing the Kages' seats where the Hokage and Kazekage were sitting with their bodyguards to oversee the final battles.

"Hey, hey," Shikamaru waved a hand at the jounin who was the judge for this round. "We can't start until all participants have arrived, right?" He said, trying to find some way to postpone the battle, because he really wasn't looking forward to all that much.

"If they're late, they automatically forfeit their match, nice try kid," the jounin smiled around the senbon in his mouth. "Also, the battles have changed a little. There was an unfortunate accident and the Sound Ninja will not be coming." He held up a piece of paper that had the new tournament battles: the only one that had changed was the last one. It was still Naruto vs. Neji, Gaara vs. Sasuke, Kankuro vs. Shino, and Shikamaru vs. Temari.

"You snooze you lose," Naruto muttered as the Hokage stood and delivered a short speech welcoming those to the tournament. Naruto mentally checked himself, lightly bouncing from foot to foot trying not to get too anxious about the battle. Neji had gone on about Fate when he battled Hinata, something Naruto objected to on principle. He couldn't believe it was his 'fate' to have a shitty childhood; he had clawed his way out of that by will alone, made it here by that same will, and he wasn't going to let anyone forget it, or undermine his achievements.

"Alright, the first two stay, the rest can go up to the observation level," the jounin instructed them. Naruto walked around a little and started stretching absently, limbering up. He pushed his hood back and felt the sun on his face, humming to himself a little.

"You've already accepted your defeat?" Neji stood opposite him in a relaxed fighting position, ready for the fight to begin at the jounin's word.

"I just got a feeling," Naruto began, getting into a fighting stance of his own and grinned as his hair and eyes shifted slowly into the red. Neji's aura was confidant, and given the fact that he was faced with a ninja a year younger than he, he had reason to not be worried. But his information was outdated. "There is no Fate, not here, not now. This is a battle between us. Let's see who the better ninja really is."

"Begin!" the jounin dropped his hand, and the first match began.

"Been a while since I used this technique. _Hinote Inju_," Naruto started the hand seals and once he was done fire sprang from his hands. The Fire Ribbons formed and wrapped around his hands concealing their length without burning him. With a flick of his wrist the ribbons started flying though the air at Neji, the ribbons darting at him from Naruto's position and snaking though the air. Naruto had practiced with the whips more but he was still far from an expert.

Neji just smirked and dodged them easily, trying to get closer to Naruto in order to use his Gentle Fist techniques to shut down Naruto's chakra. At the same time Naruto kept backing up, trying to keep the Byakugan-user at distance, because he had already had the experience of having his chakra source blocked and he didn't want to go through that again. However, Neji was picking up speed, and his whips weren't cutting it any longer.

Naruto stopped the whips and did a back flip onto the stream, settling into a Water Style stance. He knew he had made a mistake when his Demon Eyes noted the increase of Neji's confidence. Neji landed on the water just in front of Naruto and began hand-to-hand combat. Of Course Neji would be able to water walk, high-level chakra control of his techniques would require training like that. Naruto could see the chakra formed around Neji's hands due to the Second Level activation of his Demon Eyes and cursed when he saw it passing though his bracers, and his arms started to go numb. Naruto stopped the chakra to his legs and sank immediately under the water.

Naruto formed a seal, and multiple shadow clones appeared under the water with him. He had tried to make ten, but only seven appeared. He cursed mentally. Neji's attacks had already started to take effect.

Two of the clones tried to grab Neji's legs, but he back-flipped away, his Byakugan warning him of the attempt before they even got close.

Naruto and his clones burst up from the water and landed on the riverbank. Neji looked over the clones. Even his eyes couldn't distinguish them from the original.

***

"This is so boring," the girl in the black kimono complained as she watched Naruto's clones attack and get dismissed by quick blows from Neji. "He should be wiping the floor with that long haired kid!" She fidgeted in her kimono, trying to make it more comfortable but not really succeeding.

"Our brother is very capable, and we must trust that he knows what he is doing," Gobi said, rapping the girl on the shoulder with a white fan that she had purchased in the market. "Once he has the approval of the last two, he will be your superior." She glanced over at Hachibi who was lazily watching the bout. His eyes half closed, but she noticed that they were shimmering slightly.

Gobi's servant gently tapped on Nibi's shoulder. The man turned a kind face to her, and she made some hand signs, unnerving some ninja in the area until they realized she was using sign language because instead of seals she was making motions touching her face, chest and arms.

"He's over there," Gobi turned and pointed at an angle across the arena where the other participants were watching the match. "The one with the large sand gourd on his back." A few others in the group turned to look at the one he indicated. Gaara was watching the match intensely, something about the Uzumaki boy intrigued him, some power he had felt…ominous.

"He doesn't seem like much," the girl in black muttered and immediately covered her mouth with a hand, realizing what she had said. Nanabi gave her a stern glare.

"Careful what you say, Kurohyou," her voice was cold and sharp. An overhead light flickered out for a moment, casting them into shadow. "He is our Brother and to be respected." Kurohyou looked down, embarrassed and more than a little frightened. "Now, let us watch the match," Nanabi said in a more amicable tone, and the others relaxed as the light came back on. "We'll meet with our First Brother later."

There was a musical giggle from the row behind Kurohyou, and the girl in white, who used sign language before, covered her mouth to hide her smile.

"Oh shut up, Hato," Kurohyou sat up and watched the battle, immediately forgetting the reprimand. "Looks like he's in trouble…"

***

Naruto was getting hammered. Neji had destroyed all of Naruto's clones, and when it was clear who the real Naruto was, Neji declared him within his area and launched into one of the most devastating attacks that Naruto had ever seen--let alone been subject to. He could feel his chakra getting sealed off point by point all over his body. He felt numb from the lack of chakra, but his body was wracked with pain from the force of the strikes at the same time. The last strike came, and Naruto was flung to the floor of the arena like a rag doll.

"**I'm still here Kid, remember, they can't shut me out any more,"** Kyuubi spoke in Naruto's head, smug at first, but then worried. **"But I can't give you any chakra, if I try and blast through the chakra closure I could damage the buffer the others put on my chakra, and you'd be wracked with pain."**

"I know, I know…" Naruto muttered to himself as he tried to get back up, straining against the pain and trying not to pass out.

"Judge, call it, he is in no condition to continue the match," Neji smirked and turned, starting to walk towards the stairs out of the arena when he heard the unexpected. Naruto started to laugh. He turned and saw that Naruto had managed to turn over and was on all fours, laughing even as he cringed with pain.

"Oh, that's good," he snickered as he pushed himself back onto his knees, sitting up and looking at Neji. "You, telling me I can't fight. You're the one that isn't fighting."

"You shouldn't be able to move," Neji looked at the boy in wonder. He knew he got all the hits right, so Naruto should have been paralyzed for a day at least.

"Yea, well, that's me. Always fighting, always rebelling against what I'm told," Naruto forced himself into a kneeling position and then with a heave he pushed himself up onto his feet. "Don't learn. Don't fight back. Don't live." He stretched a little, trying to buy time as he thought of a way to fight back without chakra. "One of my earliest memories is a guy in the market kicking me down and telling me to 'Just die, the world would be better.'" He chuckled grimly. "Hell of a way to grow up, but no, I wasn't going to die."

Neji watched him. It had been said in passing that Naruto was tough with incredible endurance, but to withstand the pain he had to be in was beyond anything he had seen inside their age group. He activated his Byakugan. No, Naruto's chakra was still blocked. He could see a glow of energy from Naruto's belly where a great deal of his Chakra was stored, but it couldn't get out. But what was that? There was another glimmer, a bright spot of condensed chakra on Naruto's chest. But it wasn't inside him, what was it?

"But I've got sources," Naruto said as he grinned, reaching into the neck of his hoodie and pulled out a pendant, one that he had forgotten about until all his chakra was sealed off and he could feel the humming against his chest. The small pendant had a brass body and nine tails of red opal wrapping around it. The opals shone with an inner light that was unreal. "I know secrets. I know where one of Leaf's greatest secrets is buried," he raised the pendant to his lips and whispered the activation word. "Kyuubi. Kai."

The pendant had been given to him before he met Kakashi by Kibou and Keito. The one with the jutsu to absorb his excess chakra had…shattered. Finally released from within, the chakra streamed out in long trails of energy, reaching out then turning back in, circling around Naruto then plunging deep into his body, then surfacing as a red glow. All the damage that had been done, the sealing of his chakra points was undone in an instant and his body healed. Naruto let out a feral growl as he felt his demonic form try to surface, but he restrained it. His hair lengthened and started to grow down his neck and across his shoulders, he felt his face try to elongate and his body shift slightly in other ways, but it stopped there.

He pulled his hood up over his head once more to hide his changes from the judge, but he knew that the chakra signature of the Kyuubi's energy was unmistakable in the release. It didn't matter now. All that mattered was that he won.

He charged forward with speed he rarely had reached before, and Neji only barely dodged under the blow. He wasn't going to go down without a fight either.

Naruto didn't let up even once, slashing and clawing, a dagger in each hand, his body still wrapped in red energy. His clothes hid the effect from the regular spectators, but every ninja saw it, and watched, some worried, some hopeful, all curious.

Naruto grabbed a hold of Neji's sleeve and twisted it to try to throw him to the ground when Neji suddenly released chakra all around his body and spun. The effect of Neji's move was as surprising to everyone there as the release of Naruto's chakra had been before. One of the signature moves of the Hyuuga family: Kaiten. Naruto rolled in mid air and landed on all fours, charging forward again and laughing.

"Yes! Fight me with everything you have, so I can beat the FATE out of you!" He laughed and fought, both fighting with a ferocity yet seen. Naruto from the rush of his new strength and Neji put every trick and skill he had into his moves as he was being pushed to the limit by the transformation that had overcome Naruto.

He couldn't believe it, and it wasn't just the technique or the power; the elements themselves seemed to conspire against him. The earth gave way under his feet, denying him footing, while Naruto had firm ground under him to stabilize his powerful kicks and punches, and just like that the style would change, and dust would blow into his eyes as Naruto's bladed bracers cut though his clothes and etched red lines of pain over his chest and arms. Before he could perform Kaiten once more, his arm was caught and without hesitation Naruto threw him into the air. As Neji twisted in mid air he saw Naruto performing hand seals.

"_Katon:_ _Ryuuza Hane Hitofuki no Jutsu._" Chakra wings seemingly made of fire sprang from Naruto's back. They had a span of twenty feet, and the wind they made when they beat was as dry and hot as anything Neji had ever felt. He saw Naruto's grin as the wings beat several times then swing together, creating a phenomenal gust that blew the Hyuuga through the air and slammed him into the wall of the arena. He collapsed to the ground and lay there in crippling pain, knowing he had a few fractures from the impact alone. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Naruto standing over him, the chakra gone.

"Tell your 'Fate' to fuck off."

* * *

Ghost Wolf: Can I just say I love the last line?

Quote the Speechless: You may, and feel free to say it again. I loved writing it.

Ghost Wolf: I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of telling you I enjoyed something you wrote. I'll leave that up to your readers. I'm just here to make sure you keep writing.

Quote the Speechless: And you are doing such a good job of it. Chapter 19 is already well in the works. And I have a new Editor who has done a fabulous job on this chapter, believe me.

Ghost Wolf: Yes, I've seen the notes. Hopefully you'll keep her interested and she won't be busy with other things.

Quote the Speechless: Yes, we all hope that. I'd also like to say that the next chapter is looking like it will have a bizarre style to it. I'm going to be doing a little experimentation with perspective.

Ghost Wolf: Uh-oh.


	19. Invasion

Be warned! This is _**not**_ an April Fools Gag! Those who treat it as such are idiots.

First I was to apologize for taking so bloody long with this chapter. I've been having a bad year. I had to leave school because of money issues. Long distance relationship with a girlfriend ups and downs, my father died the day after valentines, I'm working a full time job, got two root canals and a plethora of other minor and major issues that have kept me well occupied.

I'm not going to stop writing but get used to more long waits. I haven't felt as... motivated for this story as I was before. I've changed and you should get used to it. The story will too. I do not know if this means it will take a darker path or what, but there we go.

It isn't like I was ever really writing this for you people. This is my own project that I just so happen to let you read.

Reviews are always accepted. Criticism is also accepted. I could use a good laugh.

Sit down, shut up, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter nineteen - Invasion  
**

"Oh my god…" Sakura muttered as she looked down at the arena. "He won, he beat Neji."

"Yea," Choji munched on some chips. "He's gotten a LOT more powerful then I remember him." The chips disappeared steadily as the people around them talked about the fight, the strengths of both Naruto and Neji.

"Wow, I didn't know he had it in him," Ino was up, leaning against the railing looking down at Naruto as he walked away from the still prone Neji. "I knew he had a lot of energy in him but whoa…" Ino blushed a little as she looked down at Naruto. His hair shifted back to blonde as he walked to the stairs that would take him back to the waiting area. "He looks better with the red hair, but since when has he been able to change it like that. Is it some bloodline or something?" She turned to Sakura, looking for an answer.

"I… I don't know," she muttered as she tried to remember. "He's been so secretive. I haven't heard from him or Sasuke at all since the end of the preliminaries. Something really big happened in the Forest of Death," she sighed and put her hand to her head, it was starting to throb.

"Another headache?" Ino settled into the seat next to her friend. "You've been getting them a lot since our fight," she put an arm around the pink haired girl's shoulders. "Did you think about going to a doctor?"

"I went, and they said there wasn't any reason they could find," she took out an aspirin from a pocket and popped it into her mouth, grimacing slightly as she swallowed it. "That's what I get for going to a civilian hospital. I should have just gone to the ninja hospital. My mom is so paranoid." She sighed and the others let her be, thinking of Naruto's battle.

***

"Oh my god…" the blonde woman's hands shook as she looked up at the TV display on the wall of the casino. She looked down at the slip of paper in her hand. Her assistant had already fainted and she was thinking about joining her. At 75 to 1, Hyuuga Neji vs. Uzumaki Naruto, she had bet $10,000 on Naruto. Which meant that the slip of paper in her hand was worth ¾ of a million dollars. $750,000. The number kept running thought her mind. And then it stopped.

"I won." She whispered, and then followed it with a louder exclamation. "I won. I WON! … Hold on… I won? Oh shit." She kicked her Assistant until she was awake. Their pig making little worried noises. "Shizune, get out stuff from the inn. I'm getting the winnings."

"Tsunade-sama?" her assistant looked up at her. Standing up with the worried pig clutched in her arms.

"Something is wrong, very, very wrong… We're going home to the Leaf."

***

"Oh my GOD!" Kurohyou squealed as she saw and felt Naruto's burst of demonic chakra and the following brutality against Neji. "Seeing that just made me all kinds of happy," she squirmed in her seat and bit her lip as she watched Naruto depart the field. Hato frowned disapprovingly at the girl in black but blushed a little as well as she saw Naruto turn one last time to wave to the people before walking to the waiting area.

"You wish to meet him then?" Nanabi looked at her servant and then at Gobi's. Neither of the girls noticed the mischievous smirk that twitched at the corner of the mouth of the Demon of Night.

"Yes!" was Kurohyou's immediate response and after a moment Hato raised a hand and made an affirmative motion accompanied by a nod.

"Keep your kimono on," Nibi chuckled and got a laugh from Sanbi. "We'll make sure you meet him once this is done. We won't interfere. Besides, it looks like the next battle is starting. Odd," he checked the pamphlet they had been given. "I could have sworn it was a different match next."

"You missed it, brother," Rokubi laughed and pointed across to where the fighters were. "They postponed the second fight because the Uchiha kid isn't here. Then one with the face paint gave up before even reaching the arena. The other guy must be good to scare him that much."

"No," Hachibi mumbled as he straightened up in his seat and looked around. "There is something else. Can't you taste it in the air?" The other demons paused at his words and opened their senses.

"Anticipation," volunteered Shibi, taking a moment to smell again. "Of battle."

"Discontent," Rokubi closed her eyes and listened to the wind. "Tired of waiting."

"Desire," Sanbi grumbeled and shifted, taking a deep breath. "For blood."

Nibi kicked off a sandal and put a bare foot against the floor. He closed his eyes and felt with senses hard for a human to understand.

"There's a massive number of shinobi in the forests around the village. Can't tell where they're from but I'm reading several large concentrations of chakra," he put his sandal back on. "Joint Summoning, probably something big by the feel of it, or several something."

"Does the village know, do you think?" Nanabi watched the battle taking place on the arena floor. The boy was attacking the fan girl with her own element. She had thought those skills gone long ago. She watched as the boy herded the girl with the shadows. If he truly knew how to use them she would have been finished long ago.

"Hard to tell, I don't know what the defenses of this village are normally like. But the wall seems well defended." Nibi watched the match as well. "I didn't know you taught any of those skills to humans," he said, glancing sideways at the elder woman.

"Oh, it was centuries ago," she waved a dismissive hand. "A man who showed promise with my Dark Skill. It had diminished by appearances. If the boy wins, I may show him the True Way."

"Um…" Kurohyou had something on her mind. "If it does come to a big fight…?" she left the thought hanging but it was obvious what was left unspoken.

"Yes, then you may fight, and I shall leave it up to you as to how and with what," Nanabi was immediately hugged by the girl who backed off a moment later, apologizing for her action but Nanabi waved her off. "But remember this is our Brother's Village. As for the rest of you…" she turned and looked at the others. "Should it come to actual battle what do you suggest?"

"It isn't our fight," Hachibi closed his eyes and sat up straight, looking every bit the part of a monk of some importance.

"I disagree," Shibi pouted at her brother. "This is our Brother's home, and he isn't able to defend it to his full extent. If one of us was under attack in our Sanctuaries then I have no doubt he would come and help. And you're just being lazy"

"I owe him from long past," Gobi said, to the surprise of the others, she glared at them as only an Ice Queen can. "None of your business."

"There are many happy trees here," Sanbi rumbled. "I will defend them."

"I'm with our Ninth," Rokubi giggled. A small white bird fluttered down and landed on a railing, chattering away. "The ones in the forest have symbols like an hourglass and a musical note. That's Sand and Sound."

"Send your bird to him, let Naruto know we will fight on the side of our Brother," Nanbi smiled.

"You forget our First Brother is a member of Sand," Hachibi frowned at his dark counterpart.

"However our First Brother's replacement doesn't have our approval yet," Nanabi countered him and the others nodded agreement. "Send your bird." The bird flew away a few moments later.

"We need to restrict our power then," Hachibi sighed. "These trinkets are useful for hiding our power, but we need to do our own part. We can't give ourselves away here."

"Lets have some fun though," Rokubi laughed. "A little challenge then. Restrict to one tail of power, and then only use one weapon or item." The others thought about it and nodded.

"It's settled then," Nanabi smiled at them but frowned down at the arena. "He gave up," she sighed. "How disappointing. This younger generation needs some serious motivation," she picked up her cane from across her lap and used it to stand. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to have a word with that boy." And she walked towards a set of stairs then down and out of sight.

***

Shikimaru was walking up the stairs towards the contestant area. Sasuke had arrived just after he finished his match, but he was in no hurry, if he was lucky the match would just go on and on for a while. He was thinking about having a snack then taking a nap, he thought he had earned a nap at least. But he stopped when he saw the hallway ahead of him disappeared into darkness. He turned and saw the same behind him. The only thing keeping his own bit of hall from pitch black beyond was a single light above him.

"Shit, this is going to be troublesome," he muttered.

"Only if you let it be, child," an old woman in a black kimono materialized out of the darkness in front of him, using a black cane for support, though he doubted she needed it at all.

"What do you want? I have no Chakra left, so I can't fight you," he sighed and put his hands into his pockets.

"I don't want to fight you," she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a scroll. She tossed it to him. "You have talent, boy. Talent that shouldn't go to waste using those weak techniques." Shikamaru caught the scroll and opened it some, reading the first foot or so of parchment then unrolling it more until more than 6 feet had spilled out.

"These are the secret techniques of my clan," he paused and looked at them again. "Well, some of them, I haven't heard of half of these. How did you get this scroll?" he looked up, but she was gone. Not only was she gone but the lights had returned to normal. "I knew this was going to be troublesome," he grumbled once more and put the scroll away as across the arena, Nanabi returned to her seat with a small smile.

***

The others only glanced up as a bird flew in landed on Naruto's shoulder and started chattering into his ear. The fight between Sasuke and Gaara

"Hold on, not so fast," the bird slowed down but continued its chattering. Now that it had slowed down the others could hear the bird's rapid speech.

"EnemiesaremassingoutsideLeaf. ," Naruto nodded and smiled while the others turned briefly away from the fight to give him a questioning look. The bird flew away and out of sight.

"Tell them not to go overboard!" Naruto shouted at the bird but it was already gone. He saw the others were looking at him. "What?"

***

Gaara was not having fun. That wasn't to say that Gaara had a normal definition of fun, the warped events of his childhood saw to that. But usually a good bloody fight made him… happy. But he wasn't happy, this boy wouldn't bleed, and he just kept smiling. He was also concerned because the voice eternally whispering for blood and death and revenge in his head was oddly silent.

It had never been silent before. Never. Before he had words or images to speak he knew thoughts of the metallic taste of fresh blood. When he could see he saw flesh being torn from all around him in ecstasy. And when he knew words the whispers started, and they had never stopped. Not until a month ago. Not until the blonde boy had shouted. When he had called forth the special chakra he thought only he possessed. Then the whispers had stopped, but only for a moment.

Gaara was so lost in thought that he nearly missed when the Uchiha started to get even faster. Just like the green boy before. What was with these Leaf Ninja? He grit his teeth and moved. His hand rose and the sand ceased being passive, shooting up from the ground and streaming through the air where he directed it. Lashing out at the black haired boy who twisted and dodged as the sand moved as no human opponent could.

The sand split again and again, two torrents became four streams, became eight, then sixteen. Tendrils of sand whipping at the Uchiha. Finally cutting him, a whip across the cheek, the arm, the leg. The tendrils that stuck absorbed the blood, dying them red momentarily before it was drawn into the whole of the sand.

_Blood, give me more, I _need_ more!_ A thought not his own sprung to his mind and he winced at its force. Gaara ground his teeth to keep the whispers back, to keep the Monster back. He succeeded, barely. The Monster wanted out, badly, and blood was the key.

Unfortunately the wince was all that Sasuke needed. The uppercut was powerful, and on a normal human it could have broken their neck. But Gaara was obviously not normal by any means. Knocked off his feet, he flew back, but his sand caught him and set him down gently, the only time it ever was. His armor flaked off where it had been broken. But quickly was replaced and the rest of his body was fortified more. It weighed him down, but it could safe his life.

_Enough! Let me OUT! Let me rend this Pest and raise this village to dust!_ Gaara let out an involuntary cry and clutched at his head. Never had he felt the Voice of the Monster be so strong. And it made him grin. Maybe this would be fun after all.

***

"Uh oh…" Kurohyou shivered as she felt the demonic chakra of the Ichibi, the First Brother, gather around the Sand boy, covering him in a protective ball of sand which the Uchiha couldn't attack through. It didn't feel as exciting as when the Ninth Brother fought. It felt wrong to her senses.

"What did they do to him?" Shibi's large eyes were nearly at tears when she felt the tainted demonic chakra.

"His nature has been corrupted," Nanabi spoke softly. She took a closer look, her eyes sinking into darkness. "The seal on the boy is trying to change Ichibi's nature."

"He must be in terrible pain," Hachibi clenched a fist.

"Which one?" asked Kurohyou, giving voice to Hato's question.

"Both of them."

"That's enough," Rokubi stood up from her seat cracking her knuckles as a sharp wind descended on the stadium.

"No," Gobi lay a restraining hand on her sister's shoulder. "This is a human problem. Let them know what happens when they try and change a Demon." Rokubi started to object but stopped when she saw the cold fury in her sister's eyes. She looked at her siblings, meeting their eyes one by one, and they silently agreed. She took her seat and fidgeted at the fight that continued.

***

Naruto's hair was a vibrant red and his eyes shown as he leaned against the railing looking down at the arena. He didn't make any sound as he watched the battle, but it was obvious to all who saw him that he was anxious. Some thought it was because he would have to fight one of the two power houses in the next round. They were wrong.

Kyuubi was shouting in his head, rage and fury at feeling the chakra of his sibling that had been twisted. But Naruto was frozen. The chakra was chilling, and it frightened him. More than Kyuubi's shouting or the mastery of power that he displayed over the sands. That power frightened him as none since the first meeting with Zabuza could.

It wasn't merely Killer Intent that his demonic eyes saw in his sibling. It was the twisted Intent of Destruction. It wasn't merely his focus on killing, but destroying, everything. He could see it on him. And he saw the insanity. The opalescent aura that his eyes could pick up. It was worse than when he saw it before, and seemed to grow as he drew on the demonic chakra.

What can I do against him? He's overwhelming. None of my attacks could possibly break that barrier, while he could still attack. He would destroy me! Naruto was scared to say the least. He didn't even notice the metal bars of the railing twisting under his grasp as his grip turned his knuckles white.

"**You aren't fighting him alone,"** growled the deep demonic voice from within his core. The voice echoed through his head and reminded him of the power that he had within him. **"This… thing is **_**not**_** our brother. It is a parody of his nature, twisted by humans who think they knew how to control a Great Demon."** Kyuubi's voice was more full of bile then Naruto had ever heard before. **"We will beat this thing, and reclaim our true brother to our side."**

"I… we… could have been like that…" the boy whispered, not registering that he said it out loud, earning him several sharp looks, particularly from the two genin from Sand.

"**And the destruction would have rent this village from the face of the earth,"** Naruto smiled bitterly at the image that Kyuubi's self assured comment raised. He noticed the twisted bars in his hands and released them at last. Reminding himself once more that he was not without considerable power of his own.

Down on the field Gaara has retreated inside a ball of his sand, which frightened the remaining Sand siblings even more then Naruto's display of strength. Sasuke had backed off, sticking to the arena wall half way up as he tried to think of how to combat a complete defense like that. Inspirations struck and a moment after the hand seals finished the chakra crackled to life with the sound of a flock of birds chattering away. Kakashi's signature move, Chidori, had been unleashed, by a mere genin.

Naruto watched impassively as Sasuke charged down the wall and then across the field at the stationary ball of sand. But Gaara wasn't just waiting it seemed. With every step that Sasuke made a spike of sand sprang forth from the earth at odd angles, trying to impede his way, hurt him, anything to keep the attack from hitting the shield and threatening Gaara within. But Sasuke was not to be stopped, with his Sharingan active the spikes posed little threat to him as he dodged under, over, sidestepping them as they shot from the ground.

Sasuke drove his enhanced fist enough the sand to the shock of everyone. Silence descended on the arena as everyone held their breath to see if the attack had been enough, if the genius had defeated the untouchable.

The silence was interrupted by a most unexpected of sounds. Laughter. It started as a low snigger, and grew to a tremendous cackle. The sand of the orb started to shift around the hole that Sasuke had punched though the barrier. Twisting around his arm as he tried to yank it back, refusing to release him. He braced a leg against the barrier thinking he could get some leverage but the sand merely folded around his foot as well trapping him even more securely.

"Nearly got me…" Gaara's voice from inside the dome of sand. "But not enough… power…" the voice growled as there was sudden pressure around Sasuke's arm, trying to crush it.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and powered up the Chidori again, but without the control it hurt him as well. But it was enough to disrupt the sand around his arm and allow him to pull free. Immediately he started hand seals and took a deep breath. Gaara had only a second to seal his shield before the fireball hit, Fusing the outer layers of the sand into brown broken glass. Sasuke kicked his foot free and back flipped out of range panting at the exertion that the combination of techniques he was forced to use merely to escape the Sand Nin.

Gaara's sand shifted and pulled back, revealing his new form. The sand making him more bestial, no longer a gourd but a long tail, claws and a layer of protection like armor fur. Dark patterns shifting through the sand that covered his body.

"My turn," he barely spoke the words before his right arm shot out and attempted to impale Sasuke on a spike of sand. Only his activated sharingan and reflexes saved him from a terminal defeat.

***

"Interesting," Gobi spoke as she looked down at the battle. "It seems the host is unable to transform into a more suitable form for using our Chakra. So has let it take its own shape through his sand. Quite innovative, I can't say that I thought he would have the control for such a technique. These hosts are quite interesting people."

"Yea, it's pretty cool," Kurohyou watched with rapt attention as the host of the Ichibi put the sharingan user on the defensive constantly having to dodge the ever shifting attacks of the sand as it changed from tendrels to torrents and lashes, forcing the Sasuke to jump into the air. No sooner was he airborn then Gaara crossed his arms and sharp growths appeared along his arms. With sharp motion shuriken of condensed sand shot through the air.

Unable to dodge Sasuke tried to deflect the projectiles with shuriken of his own with marginal success. Three of the eight sand shuriken fell apart when they were hit, two more missed, but the others hit. They cut easily though Sasuke's shirt and pants, though he was able to keep them from hitting anything vital.

Sasuke forced himself to focus harder, he had to find a way. There had to be some way to break through the solid sand defense of the Sand Shinobi. He dodged back into tree cover and rummaged in his pack for anything that could be useful. A few exploding seals, wire, a vile of poison. Nothing that was likely to get through the sand armor. Before he could try and devise a plan the sand appeared, snaking between the trees two tendrils tried to attack him from the front. He jumped into the air avoiding them both, but was unaware of the other tendril which came from behind. It wrapped around his legs and before he had a chance to cut himself free he was being dragged out of the cover of the trees and slung across the field.

Gaara laughed as his elongated tail pulled Sasuke around, slamming him into a wall and then hoisting him into the air again and dangling him by his feet in front of the demonic sand form. Gaara grabbed his arms and held them out so there was no chance of seals being made.

Sasuke struggled upside down his legs bound by the sand tail, his arms held out in the vice-like grip. He looked around franticly trying to think of some way out. But there was none. He tried to call on Chidori again but the sand twisted his arm painfully, breaking his concentration before he could gather enough chakra to make even the attempt. His pain caused him to miss the spike of chakra coming from somewhere outside of the arena. But Gaara didn't miss it.

Gaara's demonic form paused, his mouth wide, teeth sharp ready to bite into the morsel in front of him and kill him for the sheer pleasure of it. He turned, and looked towards the contestant area. The boy, Naruto, the same one who stopped him before from killing the fast green boy was watching him with glowing red eyes. He moved to bite into Sasuke again, the sand head stretching in inhuman ways, ready to rend Sasuke open and end the fight. But he was stopped again. More spikes of Chakra, different from before. He looked around and saw them. A group watching him, with glowing eyes. He growled and twisted Sasuke's arms, dislocating both shoulders and slamming him into the ground hard.

***

The Arena was silent as the broken and bloodied Uchiha lay at the feet of the sand demon. Everyone was sure that he was going to die, but he had held back when Chakra had spiked. Everyone felt it. Many thought that it was one of the Kage, using what limited influence they could to prevent death in the arena, it wouldn't be good for the publicity of the either village after all.

"Winner… Gaara of the Sand." The referee's voice could be clearly heard and people all over the arena let out breaths they didn't know they had been holding. Gaara stepped back, the sand contorting and then shifting off him, returning to the form of the gourd on his back. But everyone knew what he could do now, and the medics gave him plenty of room as they rushed out to pick up Sasuke. Setting his arms back into the sockets before moving him.

"Are you prepared for the next battle?" the jounin referee asked Gaara. "I'm permitted to give you time to rest after the battle because of the rearrangement…" the look that he received from Gaara was more than enough to tell him that it wouldn't be necessary. He looked up at the contestant area and made a motion. "Naruto Uzumaki, please come to the arena for the first match of the second round."

The words were hardly spoken before Naruto jumped over the railing and slid down the wall of the Arena until he got to the sandy floor. He took a deep breath as he walked towards the two remaining ninja, Sasuke having been taken away by the medics to get checked over.

Gaara waited, arms crossed watching, waiting. The voice in his head was silent, but the feeling from it was a combination of familiar emotions, excitement, bloodlust, anger, and a whole set of unfamiliar ones. Though his face gave nothing away, the boy walking towards him worried him in ways that he had never experienced before.

"You still have time to withdraw," the referee spoke softly while looking at Naruto, giving Gaara a glance out of the corner of his eye. But Naruto shook his head, turning and looking at the jounin who stepped back under the power of Naruto's red eyes.

"Leave the arena…" Naruto spoke softly. "You don't want to be here." The Jounin found himself nodding in agreement and stepping back. He walked a bit further away before turning and raising a hand in the air.

"Contestants ready?" neither moved, and a moment later his hand dropped. "BEGIN!" And the Jounin turned and ran not wanting to be near either of these two when the fight began. However neither of them moved. Merely staring at one another. The Jounin didn't stop running until he was nearly against the wall before turning and looking at the two, wondering what we keeping them.

"Why make him leave?" Gaara spoke after nearly a minute since the start.

"Because I wanted to talk with you privately," Naruto looked up at the stands briefly. "Well, as privately as we can expect in this situation." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I am the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the great Nine Tailed Fox. And I know that you are the container of the Ichibi, and that the seal is hurting you both."

To say that Gaara was taken aback by the boy in front of him would be a bit of an understatement. His status was one of the most highly guarded secrets of his nation, or so he thought. Not to mention that this boy was giving away his own secret without any prompting what so ever. But that was not what was on his mind from among the things the boy had said.

"Hurting? I feel no pain, nothing can hurt me." And it was true as far as he could remember. People had told him about pain, but nothing could harm him. Not even when he was fighting Lee, the first person to get past his guards. He had felt the impacts of each hit, but they didn't cause pain.

As if to emphasize his remark the gourd on his back started to shift forward covering him in a heavier armor, but with additions. Claws of sand grew along his fingers, and spines along his back, a tail sprouted and waved behind him as he hunched forward a little. It was not to the extent of the transformation before, but Naruto didn't doubt he was more protected then he was moments ago, and more dangerous.

"I didn't mean just physically," Naruto took a step back as Gaara started to growl. "The incompatible chakras are making your mind-" He didn't get to say any more as a hand of sand lashed out from Gaara and sand darts flew forward at Naruto.

"Are you calling me INSAINE?!" Gaara screamed at Naruto as the sand wrapped around his body transforming him further into the creature that had defeated Sasuke mere minutes before.

"I wouldn't say 'insane'- YIKES!" he barely managed to get out of the way as a massive sand arm crashed down where he stood a moment ago. He gulped and back flipped out of immediate range and got into a defensive position, kunai in each hand. "I really don't want to fight you!"

"Too bad I really want to **EAT YOU**," the voice changed as the form in front of him started to grow larger. Naruto didn't understand it until he saw thin ribbons of sand rising up from the arena floor and flying through the air, adding to Gaara's sand mass. It didn't stop until the sand made a creature two stories tall with swirling markings over its body, glaring down at the boy on the arena floor.

"Oh SHIT!" Naruto's shout of echoed the thoughts of everyone at the arena, or it would have if the feathers hadn't started to fall and the spectators forced to go to sleep. And if Naruto hadn't been panicking, he might have heard the explosions coming from the gates, as forign Ninja and massive snake summons slammed through the wall. The invasion had begun.

***

"I can have fun now right?" Kurohyou looked up at Nanabi as they all started to rise.

"Yes," the old woman said as she lifted her black staff grasping it with both hands near its center. A soft click could be heard when she gave a little twist and then a soft ring of metal as she pulled the two halves of her dual sword staff came free and the thin blades caught the light. "It is time."

* * *

Oh whoops, another cliff hanger.....


	20. At War

Legal Stuff - I don't own Naruto, blah, blah blah. Don't sue me, it really wouldn't be worth your while.

* * *

**Chapter 20 - At War  
**

Naruto dodged as a fist of sand nearly as large as himself crashed into the ground, losing cohesion for a moment and spreading out before pulling back together and lifting into the air for another attack. He was trying to transform but he needed to stay still to concentrate and it didn't look like he was going to have the chance.

"**WE WILL CRUSH YOU!**" The sand beast screamed in that strange dual tonal voice.

"Oh shit! Oh Shit! Oh SHIT!" Naruto said over and over as he dodged and weaved through the attacks, using a seal and making Shadow Clones, but they were quickly annihilated and only provided minor distractions.

"**He said WE!**" The sudden shout in his head distracted him and nearly got him impaled on a tree that was hurled in his direction. "**Ichibi has surfaced enough! Do it NOW!**" Kyuubi shouted in his mind, reminding him of the advice the demon had given him before the battle. Naruto jumped back and ran up the wall until he was nearly at eye level with Gaara/Ichibi.

"In-the-name-of-the-Ninth-Beast-I-challenge-Ichibi-to-battle-for-Approval-of-Heir!" It came out as a rush, shouted at the top of his lungs. Few ninja heard what he shouted, but those that did would remember. Among them were two Sound and Leaf shinobi who would report it to their respective leaders in time.

The claws of the sand beast stopped just before swatting Naruto off the wall, a look of confusion on its face as the two minds came to grips with what had been shouted. Naruto took the moment to catch his breath as he stood on the wall, waiting to see what would happen. The massive sand form seemed to writhe within its self and the face contorted further but the arm did not descend, which Naruto took as a good sign.

"Their minds are in turmoil," a voice spoke from above Naruto. He looked up and saw a monk in white robes standing on the ledge above him and watched as the monk took a swig from a sake jug. "The host doesn't know our ways and our brother was never such a fan of them." He spoke with wry humor. "However the challenge has been issued and he must answer. And since you challenged Ichibi himself and not his host there is an easy way to settle this." He made no seals but as he lifted a hand from the ledge a staff rose out of the wall. A white wax wood chime staff appeared, a large crystal suspended in the center of the chime ring without anything appearing to hold it there.

"Hachibi?" Naruto looked up at the monk. "Where are the others? What are you do-?" But he didn't get to finish his question as the staff started to spin.

Gaara/Ichibi recoiled at the sight of the monk's staff but it was too late. The monk swung the staff once and as the rings chimed off each other the crystal caught the light of the sun and a ray shot out from the staff and struck the sand beast in the middle of the forehead, connecting them. For a moment nothing seemed to move. But it only lasted a moment and then the beam faded and the staff was lowered.

"The host will sleep now and Ichibi shall be fully aware. Your challenge cannot be denied." He gave a meaningful look at the sand demon which was growing in size once more until it filled the entire arena. Naruto ran up the wall to get out of the way and stood next to Hachibi. He looked around briefly but didn't see any of the other Great Beasts. In any case the boy was thankful for the Beast of the Sun's interference, however seeing the growing form of Ichibi that was short lived.

"**Huh, so you're the whelp who my sands whisper about," **the sand form stopped growing but that wasn't much comfort as its teeth now were nearly as large as Naruto himself. He glanced at the Hachibi and growled. **"Coming out only now? Lazy bastard."**

"Much has changed Brother, but we will talk of it later. You have been challenged." Hachibi motioned towards Naruto with his staff which jingled lightly at the movement. He turned to Naruto and sighed softly. "As the challenger you get to pick the time and place." His look implored Naruto to think about his decision. However Naruto knew he didn't have the luxury of time when he heard the sounds of battle coming from all around the village now.

"In the empty forest outside the Village." He pointed towards the outer wall and the forest beyond. "And there is no better time than now."

"So be it," Hachibi nodded and raised his staff into the air, and brought the end down onto the ledge. The rings did not so much chime as boom when they rang, this coupled with the flash of light from the staff and Naruto and the sand demon were gone, only Hachibi remained.

A Leaf ninja appeared behind him in a fighting position and scowled at him. The eight tailed beast in human form turned and looked at the ninja.

"What did you do with them?" The ninja demanded. Sasuke's sharingan flared to life as he looked at the monk. The medics that had treated him had been called away for more important things and left him in a hospital bed, which did not suit him at all. Sasuke's arms hurt but less so than when his shoulders had been put back into their sockets. A medication that was supposed to keep him from moving merely numbing the pain as he forced himself out to find out what was going on.

"They are in the forest. Do not interfere with their battle. It is a… family matter." The monk raised his jug of sake and took a sip from it, his head tilting back slightly and the jug blocking his view of Sasuke for a moment.

"YOU WILL TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" Sasuke shouted and charged forward. But when he struck the monk was no longer there.

"No, I will not." The monk spoke from behind him. "As we like to say, 'Don't poke sleeping demons'." Sasuke turned just in time to see the man disappear in a glitter of light.

Naruto appeared in a large clearing in forest a river running along the far edge, disoriented by the sudden teleportation. He blinked and looked around at the scene. Thankfully he hadn't been teleported up on a branch when it happened or he probably would have fallen. Unfortunately he wasn't alone as the Sand demon had also appeared a hundred meters away.

"**Transform now!"** Kyuubi's voice from inside his head made him blink. **"Once the battle starts I can no longer give you advice."** Naruto had already been told this but he nodded in any case. He brought his hands together and took a deep breath.

The transformation was faster and easier than before. His skin barely itched as the fur sprouted along his body and his ears shifted higher on his head, growing longer, his muzzle grew out and his teeth elongated some as well. His hands grew claws and the fingers became more padded as they found a midway that he could still use. However the last part is what startled him. He felt a jolt fun from the nape of his neck down his spine and he knew his tail was growing. But when he turned to look he saw not one but two fully formed tails twisting out behind him. He felt more energized then he ever had before and all his senses were crystal clear.

"**I'm not the only one with tricks. Kyuubi has changed you more than you realize human."** The looming form of Ichibi looked down at the small human boy. **"In any case. You chose the time and place, now I choose the method, battle, of course it will be a contest of strength. I must give you a chance. So I offer you this. Damage my container who is still here in my body and you will win. The stakes are your approval as Heir if you win. If you lose you will never get that approval and remain my servant for one hundred years."**

"Agreed," Naruto growled. He knew that he had little choice in the mater, and that it would be hard, but he had to find a way. With unspoken agreement they waited for a sign to start the battle. The transformed Naruto was still quite small compared to the monstrously large sand body of Ichibi. But he had much more power now then he had before, and many tricks to use. He only hoped that they would be enough.

* * *

Across the village battles were going on. The Sand and Sound shinobi had been briefed on the capabilities of many of the Leaf ninja clans as well as knowing the terrain nearly as well. The combined forces were strong, but the Leaf ninja were holding their own, defending their village with all their strength. All in all it was fairly even with the massive summons on the side of the invaders. Until, that is, the strangers intervened.

"TITAN FIST!" Skirmishing Leaf and Sound ninja both jumped back when they heard the shout from above. A girl jumped off the roof of a building and came down in the middle of the street, her back to the Leaf ninja. Her hands locked together came down hard on the cobblestones in front of her. There was a mighty crack and the road split, massive chunks of stone and debris flew up at the sound ninja, injuring him and causing him to flee. The girl rose and shook her hands out, some rock shards falling off.

"Where is your insignia? What group are you fighting for?" Iruka said as he looked at the girl. She was young, maybe a genin, but he knew all of them. He got into a defensive stance as she turned to him.

"I don't have one, at least, not one you would recognize," she smirked and was nearly impaled by a spear thrown from much further down the street by a Sand Ninja who had witnessed her attack on his ally. And she would have been had not the lady in white appeared. With a flick of her wrist a thin bladed sword lashed out and struck the spear causing it to not only miss the girl in black but fly past Iruka as well and strike a sand ninja who was rising from under debris, killing him instantly.

"Be careful, young one. I believe that the Eldest Sister has plans for you, and it would not do to have you expire so soon." She was a beauty to behold in Iruka's eye, but her tone made him shiver. She turned to him and spoke coolly. "You may be rest assured that my siblings and I are no threat to the Leaf Village so long as we are not attacked." She didn't explain further as she clasped a hand to the younger girl's shoulder and they disappeared leaving Iruka very bewildered.

* * *

High above, standing on the spire of one of the highest building in the area Rokubi looked down on the fighting below. A bow longer then her own body in one hand, it was white as bone though no one could tell what the material was that it was made from. Her other hand reached into a quiver that she had looped around an antenna coming out of the spire. Drawing out a half dozen long arrows and putting them one at a time against the bow string.

Fighting below came to a stop in several areas where Sound and Sand shinobi dies in their tracks with arrows through their heads. In one case the arrow penetrated though a metal shield to reach its target. None of the arrows would later be found by any who searched for them in some effort to identify the mystery group which assisted the Leaf Village.

* * *

In another section of town battle was raging fiercely. No one noticed the old lady or the girl who was walking with her until it was too late. A leaf Ninja tried to shout warning as a Sound ninja dropped next to her, wire in hand ready to use the old woman as a living shield against the defending ninja. However as he drew the wire taught it was suddenly snapped as the small girl in white who walked with the old woman sliced through it with a kunai from within her long sleeves. Before the Sound Ninja could ready his own kunai he was dead, one of the long slender blades hidden within the old woman's staff stuck through his heart.

And with that they were off, the new duo seeming to dance as they battled. The girl in white darting around with sweeping motions, kunai, daggers and shuriken flying from her sleeves effortlessly wounding many though few strikes actually killed. The old woman took care of that. Her versatile blades seemed to elongate as she shifted her grip or dance through the air as the weight shifted. The tip darted expertly between ribs to strike at vital organs or slashing tendons or arteries. Any long range weapon strike disappeared into the sleeves of the girl only to be thrown back a moment later.

A quick jutsu sent a bolt of lightning at the duo but to no avail. The old woman swept the younger behind her and reached out with one of her weapons. It struck the blade of it raced down its length but not into the woman holding it but arched to the other blade and was shot harmlessly into the sky. The ninja who had tried the attack found himself dead a moment later with a dagger in his throat. That ended the battle with few injured Leaf Nin.

The old woman looked around and flicked her blades clean before she sheathed them within one another and turned it back into what appeared to be a harmless staff. She turned to the girl and looked her in the eye. Not a word was spoken but the girl nodded and bowed formally to her. The old woman in black turned to the ninja who were watching her cautiously.

"She is a medic. She will tend to your wounds." Without further explanation she turned and darted off faster than those there could follow. The girl approached them, her sleeves draped over her hands, hiding them from view but they were glowing softly with a basic medical healing technique.

"We can't trust her captain," one ninja spoke up from a crouched position holding a bleeding arm with one hand. The scarred captain looked over the girl who had stopped moving waiting for their ascent.

"Shut up and take your medicine," their captain barked. "Those of you injured get healed to battle ready. Those of you who can fight are moving with me NOW! We don't have time to be picky!" He nodded to the girl and she stepped forward, putting her hands on the wounded man's arm, guiding the healing with her technique. He watched her for a moment before gathering his unwounded troops and heading off.

* * *

Ibiki was at the front gate and dealing with the main spear of the invasion force and their massive summons. While there were a few of Leaf Ninja who could call on their own summons, none could compete with the size of the massive three headed snake that had taken out the front gate. The Leaf ninja were having trouble getting close enough to do enough damage to the snake to force it to retreat or kill it. With the Sound and Sand also coming through the hole that the snake had made his job was all the more difficult.

"GET THOSE WOUNDED OUT OF HERE!" he shouted at some medics who were trying to keep heal the wounded near the battle field. "I WANT LONG RANGE NINJA AT POSITIONS 4, 6, AND 8 CENTERED ON THE SNAKE!" He shouted at subordinates who quickly sent out to relay his orders. "I WANT SOMEONE TO GET RID OF THAT DAMN BASTARD!" That he shouted at no one in particular, but he got a reply none the less.

"Alright," a calm voice spoke from just a few feet behind him. He whirled with kunai drawn. How had anyone managed to sneak up on him when he was on alert like this? A man in a brown formal kimono stood there, and despite looking at him he still could barely sense the man. The larger shock came from the man behind him who was nearly twice as tall in a green kimono, a massive war hammer over his shoulder. If Ibiki had to guess the hammer was four feet long with an iron head that had to weigh over a hundred pounds, and the man was wielding it single handed. And he still couldn't sense either of them, they were very accomplished ninja to pull that off.

"Pull your ninja back, we'll take care of the snake summon." The smaller of the two reached out his hands and flexed slowly, cracking his joints from fingers up to his shoulders. Ibiki could see weighted rings on his fingers.

"Who are you? Are you our allies?" Ibiki still had his blade drawn but watching them he had little doubt that if they wanted to hurt him he wouldn't be talking with them.

"For now," the large man said with a shrug.

"Indeed," said the smaller. "In any case, this will use up the power we are allowed to use." Ibiki was about to speak when the small man held up a hand stopping him. "We've given you enough hints, I'm sure. It is up to you to figure out the rest."

With that they strode past him and towards the gates.

"Long range ninja are ready. Orders sir?" A subordinate appeared kneeling by Ibiki's side. When he didn't receive an immediate reply he looked up at the scarred man. "Sir?"

"Damn it! Tell them to hold for One Minute, if those two can't get rid of the snake then have them unleash everything they can! If they can then order them to collapse the wall and seal it!" He shouted at the messenger. The messenger didn't hesitate but relayed the information, wondering what two Ibiki could have been talking about.

Nibi and Sanbi strode forward into the battle. Without a word Sanbi lowered his hammer behind him and got into a low stance as he gathered power for his attack. Nibi jumped onto the head of the hammer and gathered his own power. Restricting themselves to a single tail was difficult when one takes into account the massive amounts of power they could naturally draw from their environment.

With a mighty roar of effort Sanbi swung his hammer high from behind him. At its apex Nibi was launched off, high into the air. But the hammer didn't stop there. It crashed down heavily into the main road aimed directly at the gate where the snake was. The shockwave it caused ripped down the street causing two of previously damaged buildings to collapse. When the shockwave hit the snake it screamed as the road tore up under it, jutting spikes into its body, not enough to kill it, but slowing it down for the finishing blow from Nibi.

After reaching his own apex Nibi started to fall towards the snake. His own technique increasing his mass, doubling it every second of the fall until he hit the snake. Several tons of force was directed straight down on the central head of the snake and shattering its spine so forcefully that it killed both the other heads when their connection to the body was broken. Nibi released the technique before he did further damage to the village and walked back to Sanbi, covered in snake blood no one stopped him.

"Lets get cleaned up, then we can watch the rest of this from up there," he pointed to the top of the Hokage monument. The large man nodded in agreement and they both disappeared.

* * *

When the two appeared on the carved head of the shodime they saw that Rokubi was already there, an arrow knocked at her bow.

"Last one, hold on a second," she muttered when she sensed them. She blew on the feathers drawn back by her cheek and released. The arrow flew at ungodly speeds going through two ninja before finally stopping in the heart of a third. By the time Rokubi looked up they were joined by two more. Nanabi had appeared with Kurohyou by her side. The girl in black did not look pleased.

"I had them right where I wanted them," she was muttering. Her kimono was cut and torn and even burned in a few places and the girl wearing it didn't look much better. But her apparent wounds were minor.

"I'm sure you did," her tone indicated otherwise. She reached out and tried to smooth the girl's unruly hair. "If you want to impress anyone you've got to show finesse with that strength of yours not just breaking things." The girl grumbled but didn't say anything. "Who are we waiting on?"

"Fourth, fifth and Eighth," Rokubi said as she unstrung her bow and then with the quiver sealed them into a small scroll.

"I saw our lazy brother send the captured two into the forest. Probably to hash out their little quarrel." Shibi sauntered up, sliding the coral handle of her infamous water whip between her impressive cleavage. "Some tried to attack the school. That would not do." Questions would be asked later about the drowned corpses in the fountain outside the school, and besides the frightened report of a few children, a woman with a whip that fit no known ninja description, which could not be found later.

Gobi returned shortly after with Hato. Gobi's kimono immaculate as ever, she refused to speak of her own involvement. The frozen and shattered corpses would not be missed by the investigations later. However, given that the Snow Delegation had chosen not to come this year the bodies raised some interesting questions as well.

Hato merely smiled and signed that she had helped the wounded and found all her shuriken and kunai, an impressive feat for someone who had used so many hundreds. She went to Kurohyou and tended to her abrasions.

"Well, we're all done here," Hachibi drank from his sake jug as he appeared. "Shall we go watch our brothers?" He looked over and spotted a few ninja jumping up along the Hokage monument coming their way. "I think it would be best if we didn't stick around." The others agreed and gathered around him as he lifted his staff into the air. When he brought it down there was a flash of light and the soft sound of chimes.

They had seen the nine figures, seven adults, four women, and three men, along with two girls, that fit some suspicious descriptions, but only traces of them could be felt by the sensor in the squad and they were unable to make sense of them before they faded completely.

* * *

They appeared at the edge of the clearing under the trees just as the battle got under way.

"An interesting battle ground choice," Nanabi gave the monkish brother a long look after she looked over the grounds, but he ignored it.

"Oh man, now we get to see him really cut lose! This is going to be awesome!" Kurohyou scampered up a tree and sat on a high branch so she could get a better look at the fight.

"He doesn't seem to be doing all that well…" Rokubi appeared on the branch next to her, frowning as she watched Naruto bring down a powerful strike on the Ichibi's arm that had failed to squash him yet again, however the blow just splashed against the sand causing it to scatter but quickly reform.

"Perhaps, but First Brother hasn't landed a hit either." Gobi stepped up onto a boulder and Hato took a position next to her to watch. And it was true, the Ichibi was large and could control vast amounts of sand, however he was large and Naruto wasn't having too much difficulty dodging those massive arms or the occasional wave of sand. Even the sand shuriken were hardly slowing him down.

"I think he's getting angry," Sanbi said as he watched Ichibi's growing frustration. The others couldn't help but agree as they heard him roar. Wind chakra gathering and a sudden high density ball of air shot out and nearly hit Naruto who only just managed to get under a boulder before the chakra ball tore through the upper half of the rock leaving a gap that Naruto could have easily fit inside.

"Whoa, hold on. I thought this was a contest of strength." He glared at the Ichibi. "That means no techniques right?"

"**Foolish boy, my entire body is one of those techniques. We are chakra given bodies, our strength is the elements themselves! You thought you could defeat me with strength of arms alone?"** Ichibi roared and fired off several more chakra balls, trying to hit the agile fox.

"Well that changes things then," Naruto grinned and with a few seals fire whips extended from his hands and he rushed along Ichibi's body where the shots couldn't hit him. Lashing out and carving swaths of sand off, making ugly distorted and discolored glass. However the body was still massive and any sand that wasn't converted to glass merely flowed back onto the body.

"He still doesn't get why here," Nibi shook his head, not so much watching the fight but feeling the battle through his connection with the ground.

"He will," Nanabi smiled softly. "If he doesn't he is clearly unworthy."

Ichibi howled in rage and pain as the heat from the whips cut into him, but it was hardly enough to slow him down. One long arm swept along his body striking naruto roughly and sending him flying to the other side of the clearing. Indeed when he struck the river he skipped twice across the surface before landing on the far bank, clearly disoriented by the blow.

He rose and stumbled twice, falling to his knees on the bank of the river, his eyes slowly focusing on his own rippling fox-like reflection. "Oh… hey." He looked up at Ichibi and grinned. "Ok, I was going about this the wrong way." He got up and his tails lashed out as he shook himself, shaking off some of the water in his fur from when he skipped across. He made a seal and grinned. "I'm going to win this now and you aren't going to land another hit."

"Took him long enough," Shibi shook her head. "At least we know that Kyuubi isn't helping him." Hato and Kurohyou looked at her but she just pointed. "Just watch, this is going to be awesome."

* * *

Well I'm back, somewhat. Things have been hectic for me, moving into my own place, work, classes and my own social life to juggle. A lot of authors really do update tons and I respect the hell out of them. I really can't do it like that. Maybe I could years ago, but it is difficult now for me. The story isn't dead and I do plan on writing it through to its conclusion, however long that may take.

I know I'm probably going to regret this. But I feel the need to do it anyway. Hopefully the author in question will get it and get a kick out of it. If not, oh well.

Ahem.

Bite me, Kenchi.

That is all.

- Quote the Speechless


End file.
